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The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2010  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/doubleemperorstoOOclow 


THE 


DOUBLE    EMPEROB. 


A  STORY  OF  A   VAGABOND  CUNARDER. 


BY 

W.  LAIRD  CLOWES, 

AUTHOR  OF 
'THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  MARY  ROSE,"   "THE  GREAT  PERIL,"   ETC. 


"  Attali 
Ignotus  haeres  regiam  oceupavi." 

Hor.  Carxt.  IL  IS. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

J.   B.  LIPPINCOTT   COMPANY. 
1894. 


Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,   Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS 
II.  AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO 

III.  bolter's  GUN 

IV.  THE    NEW   AIDE-DE-CAMP    - 
V.    KIDNAPPED 

VI.  MR.  HOODLUM   IS    SURPRISED 

VII.  INCONSISTENCY 

VIII.  THE    TRIUMPH   OF   COLONEL    SNAGGS 

IX.  COLONEL   SNAGGS'S   DISAPPOINTMENT 

X.  ADRIFT  •  • 

XI.  HOME  •  •  • 


PAOB 

1 

20 

39 

59 

80 

101 

123 

141 

1GG 

188 

211 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


*  HE    FIRED    EVERY    ONE     OF    HIS    PORT    GUNS    AT    THE 

pirate  '  -  -  -  -    Frontispiece 

THE    EMPEROR    MEETS    VON    DALHOFF      -  To  faCC  p.       22 


THE    BOLTER    GUN    EXPERIMENT 
KIDNAPPED  !  - 

OUT   OF   THE    MIST   CAME    H.M.S.    '  TOURMALINE  ' 
FINDING   THE    DOLLARS 
THE    LAST   OF  THE    '  PHILISTIA  ' 

1  THE      WHOLE      AFFAIR     OCCUPIED     LESS      THAN 
FIVE    SECONDS'  - 


56 

84 
146 
164 
210 

216 


THE  DOUBLE  EMPEEOE 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE    BURDEN    OF    GREATNESS. 

'  Say  what  you  will,'  declared  the  Emperor,  as  he 
sracked  an  egg,  '  it  is  a  dog's  life,  or  little  better.' 

1  Only  that  in  this  case,'  suggested  the  Field-Marshal, 
'  the  dog,  if  I  may  borrow  your  Majesty's  expression,  is 
able  to  experience  the  satisfaction  that  arises  from  duty 
done ;  and  that  is  surely  the  greatest  reward  of  existence.' 

'  I  grant  you  that,'  said  the  Emperor.  '  The  ordinary 
dog  does  not  perhaps  enjoy  that  satisfaction.  Yet  my 
work,  even  apart  from  my  responsibilities,  is  terribly, 
painfully  wearing.  To  properly  fill  my  position  I  ought 
to  have  two  bodies  and  four  hands  at  least ;  to  be  able  to 
thrive  on  a  couple  of  hours'  sleep  a  night ;  to  be  able  to 
dispense  with  all  regularity  of  meals  and  exercise  ;  to 
possess  the  digestion  of  an  ostrich,  the  strength  of  an 
elephant,  the  courage  of  a  lion,  and  the  cunning  of  a 
serpent — to  have  all  or  any  of  these  under  perfect  and 
continuous  control;  to  be  indifferent  to  sport,  pleasure 

1 


2  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

and  the  delights  of  friendly  intercourse,  and  to  con- 
tentedly sacrifice  every  intellectual  enjoyment.  I  have 
no  time  to  study  even  those  things  which  would  conduce 
to  my  greater  usefulness.  To  indulge  any  natural  affec- 
tion for  the  arts  and  sciences  is  almost  impossible. 
Each  day  seems  to  end  ere  it  has  fairly  dawned,  and  to 
leave  me  with  more  than  half  my  day's  work  undone. 
I  tell  you  again,  Count,  it  is  a  dog's  life.' 

It  was  Carl,  King  of  Euhland  and  Lusatian  Emperor, 
who,  breakfasting  with  his  old  friend  and  military  tutor 
Count  Stark,  made  these  dissatisfied  remarks. 

No  one  who  knew  him  only  as  a  public  character 
would  have  readily  believed  that  the  young  monarch 
could  find  his  magnificent  position  a  seriously  irksome 
one  ;  for  did  not  the  Emperor  possess  nearly  everything 
that  the  mind  of  man  could  desire  ?  and  did  it  not  look 
as  if  almost  all  things  which  he  did  not  actually  possess 
were  within  his  grasp  ?  Twenty-four  years  of  age,  the 
inheritor  of  a  kingdom  the  history  of  which  was  a  record 
of  bravery,  devotion  and  patriotism,  and  the  wearer  of 
an  imperial  crown  which  symbolized  the  unity  of  one  of 
the  most  capable  races  in  the  world,  he  was  strikingly 
handsome,  strong,  healthy,  and  beloved  by  his  people. 
Eifl  ministers  were  as  able  as  they  were  loyal,  the  com- 
merce and  finances  of  his  country  were  flourishing ; 
there  was  no  cloud  on  the  horizon  of  foreign  affairs,  and 
socialism  and  anarchy,  though  introduced  here  and 
there  among  the  Lusatians,  found  little  whereon  to 
batten,  and  caused  no  anxieties  as  to  the  present  and 
small  fears  as  to  tho  future. 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  3 

Nor  were  the  Emperor's  domestic  surroundings  in  any 
sense  unenviable.  He  was  still,  it  is  true,  a  bachelor, 
but  he  was  suitably  betrothed  to  the  lovely  Princess 
Griselda  of  Stormarn,  who,  in  her  turn,  was  devoted  to 
him  ;  and  in  the  meantime  he  enjoyed  the  society  of  his 
only  sister,  the  Princess  Nannette,  a  clever  and  beautiful 
girl  of  nineteen,  who  was  scarcely  less  the  idol  of  the 
empire  than  she  was  the  idol  of  her  brother,  and  who 
in  song  and  story  was  known  as  the  Pearl  of  Pvuhland. 
Nor  did  he  lack  faithful  friends  and  admirable  servants. 
He  had  been  wisely  brought  up  among  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  nation.  Not  only  the  Lusatian 
statesmen,  generals  and  admirals,  but  also  the  poets,  the 
scientists,  the  artists,  the  philosophers,  the  novelists  and 
even  the  journalists  of  the  country,  had  from  his  early 
youth  been  admitted  to  his  familiarity ;  and,  though 
court  etiquette  in  Euhland  was  as  strict  as  it  was  any- 
where, it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  monarch  was  in 
complete  touch  with  all  the  most  worthy  and  the  most 
representative  of  his  subjects,  and,  in  addition,  with 
no  small  number  of  distinguished  foreigners. 

Typical,  as  regards  ability  and  devotion,  of  hundreds 
of  the  Emperor's  trusted  counsellors  and  servants,  was 
the  old  war-wolf,  Leonhard,  Count  Stark,  who  sat  with 
him  at  breakfast  that  morning.  The  Count  had  fought 
and  bled  for  his  majesty's  father  and  grandfather,  and, 
though  upwards  of  seventy,  would  have  been  delighted 
to  fight  and  bleed  for  the  Emperor  Carl  also.  A  little, 
well-preserved,  ruddy-cheeked,  keen -eyed  man,  he 
looked,  save  for  his  uniform,  more  like  a  tenant-farmer 


4  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

than  a  great  soldier ;  and  even  in  his  conversation, 
which  was  free,  desultory,  and  humorous,  there  was 
little  to  recall  the  Lusatian  officer.  Indeed,  there  was 
about  him  something  which,  once  or  twice  in  his 
history,  short-sighted  people  had  mistaken  for  want  of 
dignity.  Not  until  they  had  ventured,  in  consequence, 
to  presume  had  they  discovered  their  error,  and  learnt 
too  late  that  the  good-humoured  little  man's  kindness 
was  reserved  only  for  those  who  did  not  abuse  it,  and 
that  behind  it  lay  a  frowning  and  absolutely  impreg- 
nable fortress,  barring  every  advance  on  the  part  of 
impudence  and  impertinence. 

The  only  other  breakfaster  in  the  Emperor's  private 
apartments  in  the  royal  palace  in  Sandburg  was  the 
Princess  Nannette;  and  if  mature  wisdom  was  well 
represented  by  the  Field-Marshal,  and  manly  strength 
by  the  Emperor,  the  fresh  charms  of  girlhood  were  as 
favourably  personified  in  the  Pearl  of  Euhland.  Blue- 
eyed  and  fair-haired  like  the  traditional  damsels  of 
Lusatia,  she  was  very  far,  nevertheless,  from  possessing 
the  lack  of  colour  and  expression  that  has  often  been 
attributed  as  a  characteristic  to  the  daughters  of  her 
race.  Her  wealth  of  hair  had  in  it  all  the  shades  of 
gold ;  her  eyebrows  were  dark  and  well-marked ;  her  e}7e- 
lashes  also  were  dark,  and  long  as  well ;  dimples  played 
over  her  rounded  cheeks,  and  her  complexion,  like  that 
of  her  brother,  suggested  health  and  high  vitality, 
though  it  was  at  the  same  time  exquisitely  soft  and 
delicate  as  the  sunny  side  of  a  peach.  In  her  simple 
dress  of  white,  the  Princess  conveyed  much  .  the   same 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  5 

kind  of  impression  as  is  conveyed  to  most  people  by  the 
newly-opened  hedgerow  flower  from  which  the  dew  of 
morning  has  not  yet  been  shaken.  There  was  that 
about  her  which  was  essentially  natural,  wholesome  and 
pure.  It  did  one  good  and  seemed  to  make  one  nobler 
to  look  upon  her. 

'It  is  all  because  the  Emperor  is  so  terribly  energetic,' 
said  the  Princess  ;  '  he  insists  upon  working  by  night 
as  well  as  by  day,  and  I'm  sure  that  cannot  be  really 
necessary.' 

1  Life  is  very  short,  your  Royal  Highness,'  replied  tha 
Count,  '  and  one  must  get  into  it  as  much  as  one  may. 
I  have  over  seventy  years  to  look  back  upon.  The  clays 
I  have  wasted  rise  up  like  ghosts  behind  me.  I  wish  I 
had  fewer  such  ghosts  ;  unhappily,  I  have  very  many. 
May  his  Majesty,  when  he,  too,  is  old,  be  less  tormented 
than  I  am  by  the  memories  of  the  past.' 

'  Thanks,  Count,'  said  the  Emperor.  'I  bhall  have  to 
work  hard,  indeed,  if  your  prayer  is  to  be  fulfilled.  I 
assure  you  it  is  not  the  hard  work  that  I  mind  ;  it  is  the 
useless  work,  the  formal  work,  the  unproductive  work, 
the  merely  mechanical  work,  which  could  be  done  as 
efficiently  by  a  well-constructed  automaton,  that  I  regard 
as  a  burden.  "Why,  the  ceremonial  work  alone  takes 
half  my  time.' 

'  Surely  you  busy  yourself  too  much  with  details,'  sug- 
gested the  Princess. 

'  Not  I !  Every  man  ought  to  attempt  to  master 
details  if  he  would  properly  understand  generalities.  It 
is  the  formality  of  having  to  listen  to  the  reading  of 


6  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

some  address  which  I  have  already  perused  and  sanc- 
tioned ;  it  is  the  farce  of  having  to  sign  certain  docu- 
ments when  any  secretary's  signature,  or  a  mere  seal  or 
stamp,  would  suffice  ;  it  is  especially  the  indignity  of 
having  to  pose  so  often  as  a  doll  in  uniform,  that  I 
object  to.  For  certain  functions  of  State,  a  mechanical 
Emperor,  to  be  wound  up  every  morning,  or  to  be  driven 
by  steam,  or  to  be  set  in  action  by  the  placing  of  a  coin 
in  a  convenient  slot,  would  do  capitally.  In  the  mean- 
time the  living  Emperor  might  be  either  doing  useful 
work  for  others  or  improving  himself.  "What  a  blessing 
a  double  would  be  to  me  !' 

'He  might  be  a  curse  also,'  laughed  the  Princess 
Nannette.  '  Recollect  the  history  of  Smerdis,  of  Lam- 
bert Simnel  and  of  Demetrius.' 

'  Oh,  of  course  I  should  be  careful  to  have  him 
marked,'  said  the  Emperor,  '  so  that  there  would  be  no 
danger  of  confusion.  But  until  this  wonderful  double 
turns  up,  I  must,  I  take  it,  continue  to  do  as  best  I  can, 
and  to  waste  myself,  with  as  good  grace  as  possible,  for 
the  supposed  welfare  of  Lusatia.' 

He  glanced  at  a  paper  which  lay  beside  him  and  made 
a  wry  face. 

'  Is  to-day  a  very  bad  one,  then  ?'  asked  the  Princess. 

'  About  as  unsatisfactory  as  usual.  But  you  tan 
judge  for  yourself.'  And  the  Emperor  picked  up  the 
paper,  and  read  from  it  the  following  record  of  the  day's 
engagements :  '  8.30,  meeting  of  the  military  cabinet ; 
9.30,  inspection  of  the  guard;  10.15,  audience  of  the 
Spanish    Ambassador;    11,    audience    of    the    Chinese 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  7 

Envoy ;  11.30,  audience  of  the  burgomaster  of  Sandburg; 
12,  laying  of  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Aeronautical 
Institution ;  1.15,  interview  with  the  Chancellor ;  2, 
interview  with  the  President  of  the  Council  of  Ministers  ; 
3,  inspection  of  the  new  barracks  at  Horn  ;  4,  dinner 
with  the  officers  at  Horn ;  5.15,  witness  trials  of  a  new 
military  balloon  at  Horn ;  6,  sign  various  papers,  com- 
missions, orders,  etc. ;  6.20,  receive  deputation  from  the 
Society  for  the  Extension  of  Lusatian  Industries ;  7, 
review  procession  of  students  from  the  balcony  of  the 
palace ;  8,  family  dinner — if  I  can  find  time  for  it ;  9, 
sign  more  papers,  etc. ;  9.45,  go  by  special  train  to — 
well,  never  mind  whither — to  alarm  the  garrison.  And 
I  imagine,'  continued  the  Emperor,  '  that  I  shall  not  get 
back  until  breakfast-time  to-morrow,  and  that,  if  I  get 
any  sleep  at  all,  it  will  be  in  the  railway-carriage  going 
and  coming.' 

'  Thank  Heaven  that  I  am  not  an  Emperor  !'  ejacu- 
lated the  Princess. 

'  You  well  may,  my  dear  sister.  In  my  daily  pro- 
gramme there  is,  I  notice,  no  provision  for  regular 
meals,  or  for  going  to  bed.  I  am  theoretically  supposed, 
it  seems,  to  be  always  up,  and  to  be  able  to  change  my 
uniform  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  A  woman  can 
sit  up  all  night,  but  she  cannot  change  her  costume  in 
an  instant,  so  that  our  law  has  rightly  laid  down  that 
no  woman  can  succeed  to  the  throne  of  Ruhland  and  the 
Lusatian  Empire.  You  understand  now  how  wise  is 
this  provision  of  the  Constitution.' 

'  I  am  glad  that  at  least  you  have  time  to  be  frivolous,' 


6  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

said  the  Princess,  who  rose,  went  round  to  the  back  of 
her  brother's  chair,  and  kissed  him  on  the  forehead. 
'  When  a  man  can  be  frivolous  things  are  well  with  him. 
Is  it  not  so,  Count  ?' 

'  Your  Royal  Highness  is  right,'  replied  the  Field- 
Marshal.  '  And  bright  spirits  can  pull  a  man  out  of 
many  a  difficulty.  Yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  Majesty 
is  overworked.  Your  Royal  Highness  must  persuade 
him  to  spare  himself.' 

'  I  need  no  persuasion,'  declared  the  Emperor.  '  I  only 
want  to  be  convinced  that  if  I  spare  myself  nothing  else 
will  suffer.  Now,  the  Chinese  Envoy  comes  here  to-day. 
It  is  true  that  we  cannot  converse  without  the  assistance 
of  an  interpreter,  and  that,  for  all  practical  purposes,  he 
might  settle  his  business  with  the  Chancellor,  or  even 
with  some  subordinate  Foreign  Office  official.  But  if  I 
don't  receive  him  he  will  consider  himself  slighted. 
Again,  I  have  to  lay  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Aeronau- 
tical Institute.  Any  bricklayer  can  lay  it  better  than  I. 
Yet  if  I  do  not  officiate  the  matter  will  not  be  fully 
noticed  in  to-morrow's  papers,  and  the  desired  publicity 
— which  is  to  attract  subscriptions— will  not  be  secured. 
I  ought  later  to  drive  in  the  park,  but,  as  I  shall  not 
have  time,  the  people  will  be  disappointed.  Then,  as  to 
the  alarming  of  the  garrison.  An  army  corps  com- 
mander, or  you,  Count,  might  do  it ;  but  you  knew  that 
the  Emperor  is  supposed  to  see  things  that  ordinary 
critics  do  not  notice,  no  matter  whether  he  be  sleepy  or 
not ;  and  that  m}'  sudden  apparition  will  produce  a  much 
greater   degree   of  promptness,  smartness,  and  general 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  9 

tension  than  even  yours  would,  and  this  in  spite  of  all 
your  experience  and  reputation,  and  of  the  merited 
enthusiasm  with  which  my  whole  army  regards  you.' 

The  veteran  bowed  deprecatingly. 

'  Sire,'  said  he,  '  I  am  only  an  honoured  servant  of 
your  Majesty.' 

'  Say,  rather,  my  dear  friend  and  counsellor.  But, 
Nannette,  look  how  selfish  I  am.  Young  and  strong,  I 
nevertheless  consider  how  I  can  spare  myself,  while  I 
take  no  thought  for  the  Field-Marshal,  whom,  on  these 
nocturnal  garrison-alarming  expeditions,  I  always  need 
at  my  side.  I  must  spare  you,  Count,  in  the  future,  and 
endeavour  to  get  assistance  from  an  officer  to  whom  these 
exertions  will  be  less  trying.' 

'  Sire,'  exclaimed  the  Count,  '  a  soldier  who  cannot 
mount  his  horse  at  all  hours,  who  cannot  sleep  in  a 
cattle-truck  or  do  without  sleep  now  and  then,  and  who 
cannot  follow  his  chief,  should  be  granted  his  demission. 
Thank  God,  I  am  not,  I  believe,  an  invalid ;  but  if  there 
be  any  doubt  in  your  Majesty's  mind  as  to  my  continued 
usefulness,  I  pray  your  Majesty  to  graciously  permit  me 
to  spend  my  last  days  where  my  weaknesses  and  ailments 
can  be  suitably  nursed.' 

'  I  beg  your  pardon,'  said  the  Emperor,  frankly  extend- 
ing his  hand  and  pressing  that  of  the  Field-Marshal. 
1  But  because  a  regiment  is  the  best  in  the  army  we  do 
not  march  it  off  its  legs ;  and  because  an  officer  is  the 
best  in  the  world  we  do  not  kill  him  with  work.  Do  not 
be  angry  with  me.  You  shall  accompany  me  so  long  as 
you  will.     And  now  we  must  attend  the  meeting  of  my 


io  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

military  cabinet,  for  it  is  half-past  eight.  Adieu,  Xan- 
nette,  until  Providence  and  duty  let  me  see  you  again.' 

The  Princess  sprang  to  her  brother's  side  as  he  rose 
from  the  table,  took  both  his  hands  in  hers,  stood 
affectionately  before  him,  and  then  smiled  happily  as  he 
pinched  her  cheek  and  turned  away. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  follow  the  Emperor  through  all  the 
duties  of  that  well-filled  -day.  His  work  was  a  continued 
struggle  against  time  on  the  one  hand,  and  superficiality 
on  the  other.  His  Excellency  the  Spanish  Ambassador 
had  been  allotted  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for  his 
audience.  He  had  important  affairs  to  talk  about,  but 
he  was  so  courtly  in  his  speech  and  so  deliberate  in  his 
methods  that  he  allowed  half  an  hour  to  elapse  ere  he 
fairly  attacked  his  subject.  In  order  to  avoid  having  to 
bow  out  the  grandee  before  he  had  finished  his  business, 
the  Emperor,  instead  of  merely  listening,  suddenly  inter- 
rupted his  visitor,  and,  putting  a  few  curt  and  searching 
questions,  speedily  made  himself  master  of  the  various 
points,  and  even  then  had  time  to  return  a  suitable 
reply.  With  the  Chinese  Envoy  he  was  driven  to  pursue 
much  the  same  course.  In  fact,  he  habitually  pursued  it 
with  diplomatists  ;  but,  though  he  thus  economized  time, 
he  gained  a  notoriety  for  brusqueness  and  sharpness  that 
caused  many,  who  did  not  know  him  intimately,  to  re- 
gard him  as  lacking  in  the  more  trifling  of  conventional 
decencies.  His  ministers,  who  had  greater  experience  of 
him,  upon  the  whole  rather  liked  the  Emperor's  habits 
in  this  respect.  The  interview  with  the  Chancellor  was 
that  day,  as  usual,  little  more  than  an  examination  of  the 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  II 

subject  by  the  sovereign.     The  Emperor,  as  he  entered 
the  room,  nodded  his  greeting,  and  at  the  same  moment 
put  a  question  ;  and,  as  he  received  replies,  he  continued 
to  put  questions  until  his  curiosity  was  satisfied.     His 
last  question  was  generally,  'And  is  there  anything  else?' 
And,  as  a  rule,  his  previous  questions  had  been  so  per- 
tinent and  so  anticipatory  of  all  that  the  minister  had 
desired  to  relate,  that  there  was  '  nothing  else.'     There- 
upon it  was  the  Emperor's  practice  to  quickly  and  con- 
cisely issue  his  orders  and  to  end  the  interview.     « If,'  as 
he  once  said  to  Count  Stark,  '  it  be  a  business  of  getting 
lemon-juice,  the  right  method,  depend   upon   it,   is  to 
squeeze  your  lemon.     There  may,  of  course,  be  other 
ways,  but  there  is  no  way  more  obvious  or  more  effectual ; 
and  when  your  lemon  is  anxious  to  yield  its  juice,  it  is 
surely  unkind  not  to  expedite  the   yield  by   squeezing 

promptly.' 

By  dint  of  adhering  strictly  to  his  time-table,  the 
Emperor  was  able  to  enjoy  his  family  dinner-party  at 
the  palace  at  eight  o'clock. 

It  was  called  the  « family  dinner,'  because  it  had  always 
been  called  so.  His  Majesty's  father  and  grandfather 
had  utilized  the  meal  as  an  occasion  for  meeting  all  their 
near  relatives.  The  Emperor  Carl,  having  very  few  near 
relatives  except  the  Princess  Nannette,  had  changed  the 
character  of  his  'family  dinner,'  and  had  chosen  to  make 
it  an  occasion  for  meeting  not  so  much  the  members  of 
his  family  as  his  more  intimate  friends  in  all  walks  of 
life.  It  was  his  chief,  and,  indeed,  almost  his  only 
regular  recreation,  and,  although  it  was  generally  some- 


12  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

what  hurried,  it  was  invariably  a  bright  and  pleasant 
function ;  for,  for  at  least  an  hour  after  eight  o'clock 
every  evening,  the  Emperor,  when  he  dined  at  home, 
threw  aside  the  cares  of  State  and  became  the  private 
gentleman  at  the  head  of  his  table. 

The  party  always  consisted  of  ten  all  told,  and  was 
usually  made  up  chiefly  of  men.  On  this  particular 
evening  it  was  a  characteristic  one,  and  may,  therefore, 
be  briefly  described.  On  the  Emperor's  right  sat  an 
English  Princess ;  next  to  her  was  the  Eussian  Ambas- 
sador ;  next  to  him  was  M.  Alphonse  Puget,  the  dis- 
tinguished French  engineer  ;  and  between  him  and  the 
Princess  Nannette  was  Count  Stark,  a  frequent  guest  at 
these  dinners.  On  the  Princess's  right  sat  Baron  Stoll, 
the  great  African  traveller ;  next  him  came  Madame 
Watzka,  the  Hungarian  novelist  and  poetess  ;  on  her 
right  was  Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum,  of  New  York;  and  on  the 
Emperor's  left  was  Vice-Admiral  Spott,  of  the  imperial 
Lusatian  navy.  Precedence  and  ceremony  were  little 
observed ;  everyone  was  at  his  ease ;  and,  although 
some  of  the  gentlemen  wore  uniform,  they  only  did  so 
because  they  seldom  wore  anything  else.  The  Ambas- 
sador, Puget,  Stoll,  and  Hoodlum,  were  in  plain  evening 
dress.  Indeed,  it  was  the  rule  of  these  dinners  that 
every  guest  was  to  appear  as  he  would  appear  if  he  were 
dining  in  his  own  house.  The  Court  newsman  never 
mentioned  the  names  of  those  present ;  and  neither  in 
the  room  and  appointments,  nor  in  the  service,  was  there 
anything  to  remind  the  observer  that  the  host  was  not 
some  private  Lusatian  gentleman  enjoying  the  society  of 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREA  TNESS  13 

friends  of  his  own  rank.  Once  only  in  the  course  of  the 
evening  did  the  routine  of  proceedings  differ  from  that 
of  an  ordinary  dinner-party.  It  was  when,  at  a  recog- 
nised moment,  the  host  rose,  bowed  to  the  Princess 
Nannette,  and,  glass  in  hand,  said :  '  My  dear  sister,  let 
us  drink  to  our  Fatherland.'  And  it  was  the  custom  for 
the  guests  thereupon  to  rise  and  drink  the  toast  in 
silence,  turning  meanwhile  first  to  the  Emperor  and  then 
to  the  Princess. 

Of  those  present  on  this  particular  evening  the  only 
one  requiring  more  description  than  he  has  already 
received  is  Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum,  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Hoodlum  was  a  young  man  of  the  Emperor's  age, 
and  his  intimacy  with  the  Emperor  dated  from  the  time 
when  both  had  been  students  at  the  University  of 
Eostock.  A  restless  traveller,  he  made  Sandburg  his 
headquarters  whenever  he  was  on  the  continent  of 
Europe,  and,  while  there,  always  saw  a  good  deal  of  the 
Emperor,  who  valued  the  American  bluntness  and  out- 
spoken honesty  of  his  friend,  and  found  in  Hoodlum's 
unconventional  ways  a  pleasant  relaxation  from  the 
stiffness  and  formality  of  ordinary  Court  and  military 
life. 

There  are  Americans  and  Americans,  and,  although 
the  assertion  may  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  received 
opinion  in  Europe,  it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that,  amoncr 
Americans  of  the  better  sort,  there  is  a  large  class  the 
characteristics  of  which  are  not  over-reaching  '  smart- 
ness,' vulgar  impertinence,  and  unscrupulous  acuteness. 
Its  characteristics  are  honesty,  straightforwardness,  and 


14  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

extreme  simplicity.  Hoodlum  belonged  to  this  class,  or 
he  would  scarcely  have  been  honoured  with  the  Em- 
peror's friendship ;  and  he  was  a  man  who,  unlike  many 
of  the  Emperor's  friends,  was  absolutely  independent  and 
disinterested.  But,  though  he  possessed  some  ability 
and  much  native  common-sense,  his  very  openness  and 
simplicity  rendered  him  perhaps  a  rather  dangerous 
associate  for  a  monarch  who  had  in  his  hand  the  keeping 
of  the  world's  peace  and  the  secrets  of  a  dozen  cabinets. 
A  great  personal  admirer  of  the  Emperor,  Hoodlum 
seldom  let  pass  an  occasion  for  sounding  the  praises  of 
his  hero.  All  his  friends  knew  that  he  was  much  in  the 
Emperor's  confidence ;  and  the  American  probably  saw 
no  more  reason  for  disguising  the  fact  than  for  dis- 
guising his  intimacy  with  any  other  man  of  character 
and  reputation.  Had  all  men  been  as  honest  as  he,  no 
harm  would  have  resulted.  But,  unfortunately,  although 
for  four-and-twenty  years  Esek  Hoodlum  had  lived  in 
the  midst  of  the  great  world,  and  had  even  managed  to 
see  much  of  it,  he  failed  to  realize  that  it  is  a  scheming 
and,  indeed,  a  very  wicked  world,  against  which  the 
really  prudent  man  should  ever  be  on  his  guard. 

'  By  the  way,  when  do  you  sail,  Hoodlum  ?'  asked  the 
Emperor,  as  dinner  was  nearing  its  conclusion. 

'1  go  to  England  the  day  after  to-morrow,  sir,  and 
shall  leave  Liverpool  for  New  York  on  Monday,'  replied 
the  American. 

'  Well,  recollect  that  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  back 
again.  You  must  be  here  in  the  autumn,  if  you  can, 
for  the  Grand  Manoeuvres.     They  are  to  be  held  this 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  15 

year  somewhere  on  the  coast,  so  that,  in  addition  to  two 
army  corps,  the  fleet  may  take  part.  Is  not  that  what 
we  want  to  arrange,  my  dear  Admiral  ?' 

'  That  is  what  I  venture  to  hope,  sire,'  said  Admiral 
Spott.  '  It  will  teach  both  branches  of  your  Majesty's 
service  some  useful  lessons  concerning  co-operation.' 

'  You  hear,  Hoodlum  ?'  laughed  the  Emperor.  '  That 
is  Spott's  way  of  saying  that  if  you  come  and  bring  your 
camera  you  will  find  plenty  to  do.  Take  care,  though, 
that  we  don't  arrest  you  as  a  spy.  Be  here  by  the  third 
week  in  September,  and  you  will  be  in  time.  Imme- 
diately after  the  manoeuvres  there  will  be  something 
else  for  you  to  see,  for  October  the  20th  is  to  be  my 
wedding-day.     I  invite  you  to  be  present.' 

'  I  shall  come  with  pleasure,  sir,'  said  Hoodlum  simply. 
'  In  the  meantime  I  heartily  wish  you  every  happiness 
in  life.' 

'  I  am  sure  you  do,  my  dear  fellow,'  returned  the 
Emperor.  '  And  now,  do  you  feel  inclined  to  come  to- 
night and  see  me  wake  up  the  garrison  of  Bomberg? 
The  Field-Marshal  and  I  start  almost  immediately. 
You  only  need  a  warm  coat,  plenty  of  cigars,  and  a  flask 
of  brandy;  and  if  you  haven't  them  in  the  palace,  I 
dare  say  we  can  lend  you  them.' 

'  I  should  immensely  like  to  come,'  replied  Hoodlum 
eagerly. 

The  Emperor  rose  and  bowed  to  each  of  his  guests. 

'  Ladies  and  gentlemen,'  he  said,  '  I  regret  that  some 
of  us  must  leave  you.  We  have  business  to  attend  to. 
But  I  beg  you  not  yet  to  depart.     My  sister  the  Princess 


16  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

will  be  charmed  to  be  favoured  a  little  longer  with  your 
society.  You,  gentlemen,  will  later,  I  do  not  doubt,  find 
your  way  to  the  billiard-room.  The  Admiral  here  plays 
a  strong  game.  I  bid  you  good-night,  and  thank  you 
heartily  for  your  company.'  And  with  a  bow  to  all  in 
general  he  turned  towards  the  door,  which,  however, 
he  did  not  reach  before  the  Princess  Nannette  caught 
him  up  and  bade  him  good-night. 

The  Emperor's  nocturnal  garrison  -  alarming  expedi- 
tions were  romantic  affairs,  and,  as  is  often  the  case  with 
romantic  affairs,  decidedly  uncomfortable.  It  was  rain- 
ing hard ;  but  it  was  the  Emperor's  practice,  when 
starting  on  these  journeys,  always  to  w7alk  to  the  station, 
for  he  feared  lest  the  passage  of  his  well-known  carriage 
through  the  streets  of  the  capital  might  arouse  people 
to  a  consciousness  of  what  he  was  about  to  do,  and  so 
lead  to  the  despatch  in  the  threatened  directions  of 
warning  telegrams,  which  might  neutralize  the  value  of 
the  projected  surprise. 

Through  the  pelting  rain,  therefore,  the  party  trudged. 
The  Emperor  and  the  Field-Marshal,  muffled  up  in 
their  uniform  greatcoats,  betrayed  no  signs  of  rank  that 
were  likely  to  attract  the  attention  of  casual  observers, 
and  Hoodlum,  bearing  an  umbrella  and  walking  with 
them,  was  not  in  any  way  remarkable.  They  had  a 
mile  to  walk,  and  when  at  length  they  reached  the 
Eastern  Station,  they  were  all  decidedly  damp.  The 
Emperor  led  the  way  at  once  to  the  stationmaster's 
office,  and  entering,  confronted  that  alarmed  dignitary 
with  the  pithy  announcement : 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  17 

'  The  usual  train  must  be  ready  in  ten  minutes. 
Secrecy  must  be  observed.  The  destination  is  Bomberg, 
and  all  traffic  must,  if  necessary,  be  stopped.'  Then, 
throwing  open  his  coat,  his  Majesty  took  up  a  position 
with  his  back  to  the  stove,  opened  his  cigar-case,  offered 
it  to  the  Field-Marshal  and  to  Hoodlum,  and  lighted  a 
cigar  for  himself. 

'  We  don't  indulge  ourselves  much  on  these  occasions,' 
he  said  to  the  American.  '  If  I  ordered  out  my  saloon 
carriage  everyone  in  the  station  would  know  of  my  being 
here,  so  we  take  sometimes  a  third-class  carriage,  some- 
times a  horse-box,  and  sometimes  —  only  sometimes, 
remember — an  ordinary  first-class.  It  is  always  interest- 
ing to  speculate  upon  what  our  excellent  and  judicious 
friend  the  stationmaster  will  deem  most  suitable.  We 
leave  it  to  his  judgment,  and  I  must  say  that  he  usually 
makes  us  sufficiently  uncomfortable.  But  even  when  he 
sends  us  in  a  horse-box,  he  invariably  provides  plenty  of 
clean  straw;  and  the  Field-Marshal  will  tell  you  that 
clean  straw  is  the  healthiest  of  all  materials  for  sleeping 
upon.' 

'  Oh,  we  generally  fare  very  well,'  laughed  Count 
Stark.  '  In  real  campaigning,  you  know,  the  straw,  as 
often  as  not,  is  not  clean.  Frequently,  too,  there  is  no 
straw  at  all,  and  there  is  generally  no  horse-box.  Yet  I 
have  slept  very  soundly  on  the  bare  ground  under  the 
stars,  and  I  remember,  also,  to  have  seen  his  Majesty's 
royal  father  very  soundly  asleep  in  the  manger  of  a 
ruined  cowshed.  It  is  chiefly  the  idle  who  cannot  sleep 
anywhere.' 

2 


18  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

The  stationmaster,  who  had  gone  out  to  make  the 
requisite  arrangements,  returned,  watch  in  hand. 

'  The  train,'  he  said,  '  will,  if  your  Majesty  pleases, 
start  in  four  minutes.' 

1  And  what  is  it  to-night  ?'  ashed  the  Emperor, 
laughing. 

'  Your  Majesty  will,  if  it  pleases  your  Majesty,  travel 
in  a  horse-box.  It  is  a  new  one,  may  it  please  your 
Majesty,  and  it  has  not  yet  been  used.' 

'I  told  you  how  it  would  be,  Hoodlum,'  said  the 
Emperor,  as  he  buttoned  his  coat  again  and  knocked  off 
the  ash  of  his  cigar  against  the  stove.  '  But  we  are  un- 
usually favoured  in  having  a  new  horse-box.  Lead  on, 
stationmaster.' 

The  official,  taking  up  a  lantern  from  the  floor,  led 
the  way  through  the  great  station  to  an  uncovered  and 
ill-lighted  siding,  into  which  an  express  engine  was  at 
that  moment  backing  the  selected  horse-box,  to  which 
was  also  attached  a  break-van. 

Two  or  three  guards  and  porters  only  were  on  the 
little  platform,  which  was  soaked  with  splashing  rain. 
They  saluted,  not  because  two  of  the  travellers  were  an 
Emperor  and  a  Field-Marshal,  but  because  they  were 
officers  ;  and  as  the  vehicle  came  to  a  standstill,  they 
threw  open  the  door. 

Hoodlum  saw  with  relief  that  the  interior  was  not 
quite  so  uncomfortable  as  the  Emperor's  conversation 
had  led  him  to  expect.  It  was  well  lighted  ;  it  contained 
chairs  and  a  table,  and  in  one  corner  stood  a  camp 
bedstead  covered  with  rugs. 


THE  BURDEN  OF  GREATNESS  19 

'  You  are  taking  care  of  us,  indeed,  my  good  station- 
master,'  said  the  Emperor.  '  This  is  luxury  itself.  Get 
in,  gentlemen  ;  we  will  start.' 

A  minute  later  the  special  train  was  on  its  way  to 
Bomberg,  and  the  Field-Marshal  was  engaged  in  a 
determined  conflict  of  courtesy  as  to  the  occupancy  of 
the  solitary  bed.  He  declared  that  he  could  not  think 
of  accepting  it.  The  Emperor  declared  that  for  his  part 
he  would  not  while  the  Count  lay  on  straw ;  and  the 
result  was,  that  while  the  Emperor  and  the  Field- 
Marshal  curled  themselves  up  in  adjoining  stalls  on 
opened  trusses  of  straw,  Hoodlum  gravitated  naturally 
to  what  appeared  to  him  to  be  the  more  comfortable 
place  of  repose.  But  he  was  wrong.  Long  ere  the  train 
reached  Bomberg,  the  American  was  pitched  fairly  on  to 
the  floor ;  for  the  springs  of  the  horse-box  were  some- 
what stiff,  and,  being  on  the  floor,  he  remained  there  on 
a  pile  of  rugs,  and  found  himself  tolerably  at  ease. 

The  spire  of  Bomberg  Cathedral  glistened  in  the  bright 
moonlight,  and  its  lively  chimes  were  striking  for  half- 
past  one  as  the  train,  which  had  travelled  down  without 
a  stoppage,  rolled  into  a  station  illuminated  only  by  the 
hand-lamps  of  half  a  dozen  sleepy  men. 


CHAPTER  II. 

AN    IMPERIAL    TATTOO. 

Bombrrg  was  the  headquarters  of  the  second  division  of 
the  21st  Lusatian  Army  Corps,  and  the  actual  garrison 
of  the  town  consisted  of  two  infantry  regiments,  a  regi- 
ment of  Uhlans,  two  mounted  batteries  of  artillery,  a 
company  of  engineers,  a  pontoon  train,  and  ammunition 
and  provision  columns,  the  whole  under  Lieutenant- 
General  Beck. 

'Conduct  us  at  once  to  the  Lieutenant -General's 
house !'  cried  the  Emperor  to  a  porter  against  whom  he 
stumbled  as  he  leapt  to  the  platform  before  the  train 
had  quite  come  to  a  standstill. 

The  man  saluted,  and  obeyed  without  a  word.  He 
may  not  have  known  who  the  speaker  was,  but  he  did 
know  that  he  was  an  officer  of  high  rank,  and  that  was 
for  him  sufficient.  He  went  off  at  once,  lamp  in  hand, 
leading  the  way,  first  into  a  deserted  and  unlighted  lane, 
and  thence  through  broader  but  equally  dark  and 
empty  streets  to  the  centre  of  the  town.  Not  a  soul 
was  encountered  on  the  route.  A  few  stray  cats  slunk 
aside  out  of  the  bright  moonlight  into  the  shadows  of  the 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  21 

toppling  houses,  but  there  were  no  other  signs  of  life  in 
the  place,  for,  on  ordinary  occasions,  Bomberg  goes 
early  to  bed. 

Outside  the  Lieutenant-General's  quarters  stood  a 
couple  of  striped  sentry-boxes,  and  before  these,  with 
mechanical  regularity  and  rifle  on  shoulder,  paced  two 
sturdy  infantrymen,  who,  as  they  heard  the  clanking  of 
swords,  stopped  short  to  listen,  and  who,  as  soon  as  they 
saw  the  approaching  party,  probably  divined  what  was 
about  to  happen. 

Hoodlum  was  never  able  to  recall  the  exact  sequence 
of  the  events  of  the  next  few  minutes.  There  was  a 
rattle  of  arms ;  there  were  two  or  three  short  sharp 
words  of  command ;  an  upper  window  of  the  Lieutenant- 
General's  house  was  violently  flung  open ;  some  undis- 
tinguishable  orders  were  hurriedly  shouted  in  the  room 
above ;  a  bugle  brayed ;  other  bugles  at  all  kinds  of 
distances  took  up  its  raucous  notes ;  bells  were  rung  ; 
whistles  were  blown ;  rockets  were  fired  into  the  calm 
sky ;  and  in  almost  less  time  than  it  takes  to  relate,  the 
door  of  the  house  let  out  first  one  and  then  several 
officers,  and  the  great  square  in  front  began  to  fill  with 
troops  who  streamed  into  it,  with  a  rush,  from  all 
directions. 

The  Emperor,  watch  in  hand,  stood  on  the  steps  look- 
ing on.  Presently  there  was  led  up  to  him  a  charger, 
which  he  mounted,  but  at  once  took  out  his  watch  again. 
Aides-de-camp  and  mounted  orderlies  galloped  hither 
and  thither.  Strains  of  music  and  roll  of  drum  began 
to  float  upon  the  breeze.     One  infantry  regiment,  that 


22  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

of  Kaiser  Franz  (No.  240),  marched  bodily  in  at  the 
double  in  nine  minutes  from  the  giving  of  the  alarm, 
and  the  Emperor  raised  his  eyes  and  beamed  his  satis- 
faction at  the  grizzled  colonel  whose  command  had  done 
so  well.  In  fourteen  minutes  the  whole  garrison,  horse, 
foot,  artillery,  and  tram,  was  assembled,  and  the  Lieu- 
tenant-General proudly  reported  the  fact.  In  the  mean- 
time mounts  had  been  brought  for  the  Field-Marshal 
and  for  Hoodlum. 

It  was  a  marvellous  transformation,  from  stillness  and 
sleep  to  the  clash  of  arms  and  the  most  intense  alertness 
of  several  thousands  of  men  and  horses.  The  Emperor 
had  come  provided  with  written  orders.  These  he 
handed  to  the  Lieutenant-General,  who,  promptly  giving 
the  necessary  commands,  emptied  the  square  almost  as 
rapidly  as  the  alarm  had  filled  it.  The  troops  were 
marched  out  of  the  town  by  various  routes,  and  for  the 
next  hour  a  lively  sham  fight  was  in  progress  in  the 
suburbs.  Then  followed  the  march  past,  and  the 
delivery  of  the  Emperor's  criticism  on  the  night's  work. 

It  was  during  the  criticism  that  something  happened 
which  had  an  important  bearing,  not  only  upon  the 
Emperor's  subsequent  career,  but  also  upon  the  whole 
subsequent  welfare  of  the  imperial  dynasty,  and,  indeed, 
of  the  empire. 

Sitting  on  horseback,  in  the  midst  of  a  brilliant  circle 
of  officers  whose  faces  were  lighted  up  by  the  flames  of  a 
score  of  torches,  the  Emperor  had  occasion,  in  the  course 
of  his  remarks,  to  consult  some  pencilled  notes  which  he 
had  made  from  time  to  time  since  his  arrival  at  Bom- 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  23 

berg.  Looking  up  again,  previous  to  resuming  his 
comments,  he  saw,  gazing  straight  at  him,  a  face  which, 
for  an  instant,  he  took  to  be  some  mysterious  reflection 
of  his  own.  The  effect  was  so  startling  that  at  first  he 
could  not  continue,  but  simply  returned  the  gaze. 

Yet,  as  he  noticed  that  though  the  face  seemed  to  be 
his,  the  helmet  and  uniform  belonging  to  it  were  cer- 
tainly not,  he  realized  that  it  was  not  a  case  of  reflection, 
but  a  case  of  curious  resemblance.  Turning  to  Count 
Stark,  who  was  at  his  side,  he  whispered  hurriedly  : 
'  Find  out  for  me  the  name  of  that  young  captain  of  the 
Kaiser  Franz  Eegiment,  my  dear  Count,'  and  then  went 
on,  as  before,  with  his  praises,  his  strictures,  his  recom- 
mendations and  his  comparisons. 

Half  an  hour  later  he  was  once  more  at  the  station. 

Concealment  being  no  longer  necessary,  the  party  did 
not  return  to  Sandburg  in  the  horse-box,  but  in  an 
ordinary  first-class  carriage,  and  the  departure  of  the 
train  was  respectfully  witnessed  by  the  Lieutenant- 
General  and  all  his  staff,  who  stood  stiffly  at  the  salute 
as  the  engine  steamed  away,  and  were,  no  doubt,  much 
more  relieved  than  they  appeared  to  be  at  the  gratifying 
manner  in  which  they  had  passed  through  a  very  trying 
ordeal. 

'  Excellent !  excellent,  my  dear  Count !'  cried  the 
Emperor,  as  he  sank  down  on  the  cushions  and  rubbed 
his  hands.  '  Everything  ready  in  fourteen  minutes  by 
my  watch.  That  fellow  Beck  has  hair  on  his  teeth ! 
And  the  Kaiser  Franz  Eegiment !  It  was  a  piece  of 
enchantment,  for  their  barracks  are  nearly  a  quarter  of 


24  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

a  mile  from  the  square.  I  shall  write  specially  to 
Colonel  von  Groll  to  express  my  satisfaction.  The  first 
battalion  especially  was  magnificent  in  every  way. 
What  is  the  name  of  the  adjutant?  I  must  commend 
him  in  my  letter.' 

'  The  adjutant,  sire,'  said  the  Field-Marshal,  '  is, 
strange  to  say,  the  same  young  captain  whose  name 
your  Majesty  inquired  about  during  the  criticism.' 

'  All  the  better,'  said  the  Emperor.  'He  is  a  smart 
fellow,  I  see.' 

'  I  have  asked  a  few  questions,  and  I  find  that  he  is 
certainly  a  most  admirable  officer— one  of  the  youngest 
captains,  in  fact,  in  your  Majesty's  army.  He  has  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  all  possible  directions ;  he  bears 
the  highest  character ;  and  both  Colonel  von  Groll 
and  the  lieutenant  -  colonel  of  the  battalion  seem  to 
regard  him  as  a  perfect  military,  intellectual,  and  social 
prodigy.' 

1  Better  and  better,'  commented  the  Emperor.  '  Did 
you  speak  to  him  ?' 

'  I  did,  sire,  and  I  was  much  impressed,  not  only  by 
his  manner,  but  also,  if  your  Majesty  will  forgive  me,  by 
his  striking  resemblance  to  yourself.' 

'  I  thought  that  would  impress  you,'  said  the  Emperor. 
'  It  impressed  me,  almost  to  the  extent  of  rendering  me 
speechless  for  an  instant.  That  is  why  I  asked  you  to 
make  inquiries.     But  what  is  his  name  ?' 

'  His  name,'  replied  the  Field-Marshal,  '  is  Wilhelm, 
Baron  von  Dalhoff.  His  late  father  was  a  brave  comrade 
of  mine  forty  years  ago,  and  was  well  and  favourably 


AN  IMPERIAL  TA  TTOO  25 

known  to  your  imperial  grandfather,  who,  if  I  recollect 
rightly,  decorated  him  with  his  own  cross  on  the  bloody 
field  of  Virecourt.' 

'  Patre  claro  films  clarior,  eh  ?  I  am  very  glad  to  hear 
it.  I  think  I  see  a  future  for  Captain  von  Dalhoff.  But 
I  must  first  speak  to  him.  "Will  you  oblige  me,  my  dear 
Count,  by  having  him  ordered  to  Sandburg  and  directed 
to  report  himself  to  me  at  the  palace  ?  And  what  did 
you  think  of  the  smartness  with  which  the  garrison 
turned  out,  Hoodlum  ?' 

'  It  was  marvellous  !'  returned  the  American.  '  Troops 
so  alert  in  peace  time  will  not  easily  be  caught  napping 
in  war.' 

'  Well,  don't  hide  your  light  under  a  bushel,  my  dear 
fellow.  Say  the  same  to  all  the  world.  It  will  not  do 
any  harm  to  Lusatia  or  to  the  peace  of  Europe.  There's 
a  fine  subject  for  your  next  article  in  Scrarpner's 
Magazine,  "How  we  Alarmed  Bomberg."  And  now, 
gentlemen,  I  purpose  to  sleep  until  we  get  to  Sandburg.' 

The  Emperor  made  himself  comfortable  in  his  corner ; 
the  others  followed  his  example,  and  in  less  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  all  three  were  in  the  land  of  dreams. 

Here  it  may  be  explained  that  Hoodlum,  though  a 
man  of  sufficient  private  fortune,  was  always  willing,  as 
opportunities  arose  in  the  course  of  his  travels,  to  con- 
tribute to  journals  and  magazines  in  his  own  country 
and  in  England,  and  that  the  Emperor  had  more  than 
once  found  it  convenient  to  take  advantage  of  this  fact, 
and  of  his  well-known  intimacy  with  Hoodlum,  to  make 
public  in  an  unofficial  or  tentative   manner   views  or 


26  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

schemes  which  he  did  not  deem  it  desirable  to  air  in  a 
more  formal  way.  The  benefits  were,  of  course,  recipro- 
cal. Hoodlum  was  raised  to  a  position  which  enabled 
him  to  command  good  pay  for  his  literary  work,  and  the 
Emperor  not  only  secured  a  trustworthy  '  organ,'  but 
at  the  same  time  avoided  incurring  direct  responsibilities 
which  might  be  irksome,  if  not  absolutely  impolitic. 

At  a  quarter  to  eight  the  imperial  train  steamed  safely 
into  the  Eastern  Station  in  Sandburg,  where  the 
Emperor's  carriage  was  awaiting  him.  Hoodlum  said 
his  adieux,  and  took  a  fiacre  to  his  hotel,  there  to  pre- 
pare for  his  journey  to  America  by  way  of  England ; 
and  the  Emperor  and  the  Field-Marshal  were  driven  at 
a  rapid  pace  to  the  palace,  at  a  window  of  which  the 
Princess  Nannette  was  watching  for  their  return. 

It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  the  Field-Marshal  lost 
no  time  in  communicating  with  the  Lieutenant- General 
at  Bomberg,  and  in  obtaining  the  attendance  in  Sand- 
burg of  Baron  von  Dalhoff. 

The  Baron  was,  in  truth,  one  of  the  most  able  and 
ambitious  of  the  younger  officers  in  the  Lusatian  army, 
and  had  always  cherished  warm  hopes  of  usefulness  and 
distinction.  But  even  in  the  wildest  dreams  of  his 
youth  he  probably  never  imagined  the  peculiar  kind  of 
sphere  in  which,  as  will  be  seen,  he  was  destined  to 
attain  honours  and  celebrity.  His  aspirations  were  in 
all  likelihood  limited  to  the  command  of  an  army-corps, 
or,  at  least,  to  the  rank  of  field-marshal,  though  he  may 
have  even  thought  of  the  chancellorship,  for  in  Lusatia 
there  is  no  ministerial  post  too  influential  to  be  beyond 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  27 

the  grasp  of  the  capable  soldier.  Assuredly  he  can 
have  never  expected  any  still  loftier  career.  Yet  there 
was  one  awaiting  him. 

The  Emperor  was  accustomed  to  do  much  upon  his 
own  initiative  and  without  consultation,  either  with  his 
ministers  or  with  his  private  friends.  It  is  by  no  means 
certain,  nay,  it  is  exceedingly  unlikely,  that  all  these 
would  have  approved  of  the  step  which  his  Majesty 
purposed  to  take  with  regard  to  Von  Dalhoff ;  but  none 
of  them  was  asked  for  his  opinion  upon  the  subject,  nor 
were  any  of  them,  Count  Stark  only  excepted,  informed 
of  what  had  been  done,  even  when  the  step  had  been 
actually  taken.  Princess  Nannette  herself  was  not  fore- 
warned of  the  project,  although  her  brother  had  very 
few  confidences  which  he  did  not  share  with  her. 
Indeed,  as  will  appear,  she  was  only  told  when  it  became 
necessary  that  she  must  be. 

When,  therefore,  the  Baron  arrived  at  the  palace,  the 
Emperor  alone  received  him. 

Subsequent  events  have  led  to  the  making  public  of 
all  the  details  of  that  interview,  which  many  rank 
beyond  doubt  as  the  most  curious  interview  that  ever 
took  place  between  a  sovereign  and  a  subject. 

The  Baron  was  shown  into  an  unoccupied  room. 
Upon  a  table  near  the  window  lay  two  or  three  pieces  of 
lint,  a  cork  stuck  full  of  needles,  and  a  small  bottle 
containing  some  black  liquid. 

The  Emperor  entered  immediately  afterwards,  and, 
mechanically  returning  Yon  Dalhoffs  salute,  locked  both 
doors  of  the  room,  and  then,  taking  up  a  position  with 


28  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

his  back  to  the  fireplace,  ordered  his  visitor  to  be 
seated. 

'You  are  Baron  von  Dalhoff,  Captain  in  the  Kaiser 
Franz  Infantry  Eegiment  ?'  he  demanded. 

'I  have  the  honour,  your  Majesty.' 

'  Your  age  is  ?' 

'  Twenty-four,  sire.' 

'  Your  height  is  ?' 

'  Six  feet,  sire.' 

'Are  you  aware  that  in  age  and  height,  as  well  as 
in  general  appearance,  you  bear  an  extraordinary 
resemblance  to  myself  ?' 

'  I  am,  your  Majesty.' 

'  People  have  often  remarked  it,  eh  ?' 

'Frequently,  sire.' 

'Your  voice  even  is,  I  notice,  like  mine.  Has  that 
further  similarity  been  brought  to  your  attention  ?' 

'  It  has,  sire.' 

'  The  whole  resemblance  is,  in  fact,  notorious  ?' 

'  If  your  Majesty  will  forgive  me,'  said  the  Baron, 
'  my  nickname,  given,  I  submit,  with  all  respect,  is 
"  the  Kaiser." ' 

'  I  felt  sure  of  something  of  the  sort.  And  I  perceive 
that  you  further  cultivate  the  resemblance  by  wearing 
your  hair  and  moustache  as  I  wear  mine.' 

The  Captain  reddened  a  little,  but  said  nothing. 

'  I  desire  no  permanent  change  to  be  made,'  continued 
the  Emperor  quickly.  '  I  am  not  displeased  ;  far  from 
it.  They  say  that  imitation  is  the  sincerest  form  of 
flattery.     Do  you  speak  English,  French,  Italian  ?' 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  29 

'English  and  French  with  ease,  Italian  less  so,  sire,' 
replied  Yon  Dalhoff. 

'  And  Kussian  ?' 

'  Eussian  I  also  speak,'  answered  the  Captain. 

'  Very  good,  Baron.  Now  have  the  goodness  to  take 
off  your  uniform,  and  to  put  on  this  one  ;'  and  the 
Emperor,  opening  a  cupboard  in  the  wall,  took  out  a 
uniform  exactly  similar  to  the  one  which  he  was  himself 
wearing. 

Baron  von  Dalhoff  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to 
make  of  the  Emperor's  order,  but  at  once  proceeded  to 
obey  it.  In  three  minutes  he  was  properly  arrayed  in 
the  uniform  of  the  Imperial  Guard.  The  Emperor 
watched  him  with  interest,  and  when  he  was  dressed 
examined  him  carefully,  and  placed  him  in  front  of  a 
long  mirror,  in  which  the  figures  of  the  two  men  side  by 
side  could  be  seen  simultaneously. 

'  Excellent !'  was  the  Emperor's  comment,  after 
elaborate  inspection.  '  Twist  your  moustache  a  little 
more  upwards,  and  you  will  do  admirably,  unless,  indeed, 
you  can  suggest  some  other  improvement.' 

'  I  appear  to  have  the  honour  to  resemble  your 
Majesty  in  all  outward  respects,'  said  Yon  Dalhoff. 

'  But  there  must  be  a  further  test,'  remarked  the 
Emperor.  '  In  the  next  room  my  sister,  the  Princess 
Nannette,  is  writing.  I  call  her  familiarly  "  Nan  "  or 
"  Pearl."  I  have  left  on  the  table  at  which  she  is 
sitting  a  pocket-book  of  red  morocco,  bearing  my  cipher. 
It  is  concealed  beneath  some  papers.  I  desire  you, 
assuming  my  character,  to  go  in  and  to  ask  her  for  the 


30  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

pocket-book.  You  will  leave  the  door  open,  so  that  I 
may  hear  what  passes.  On  no  account  are  you  to 
betray  yourself.  Should  she  ask  any  question  you  must 
consult  your  common-sense  for  a  reply.  Then  return  to 
me  here.' 

Poor  Von  Dalhoff  felt  extremely  nervous  and  un- 
comfortable. 

'  Excuse  me,  sire,'  he  said  awkwardly,  '  but  to  carry 
out  your  orders  successfully  I  must  know  one  thing. 
May  I  venture  to  ask  upon  what  terms  your  Majesty  is 
with  her  royal  highness  ?' 

1  On  what  terms  ?'  laughed  the  Emperor.  '  Why, 
what  would  you  have  ?  We  are  brother  and  sister. 
Have  you  a  sister  ?' 

'Yes,  sire.' 

'  And  are  you  on  good  terms  with  her  ?' 

'  The  best  in  the  world,  your  Majesty.' 

'  Good  !  Those  will  do.  The  Princess  and  I  are  still 
as  we  were  when  we  were  children  together,  and  God 
grant  that  we  may  never  be  otherwise.  Now,  I  will 
unlock  this  door.  Immediately  beyond  it  is  a  second 
door,  but  it  is  not  locked.     Open  it,  and  go  in  boldly/ 

Von  Dalhoff  steadied  himself.  He  would  have  vastly 
preferred  to  storm  a  battery,  but,  having  his  orders,  he 
obeyed  them.  It  relieved  him  to  find  as  he  opened  the 
second  door  that  the  Princess  sat  with  her  back  towards 
it,  and  did  not  look  up  as  he  entered. 

'  Nan,'  he  said  boldly,  '  where  is  that  red  pocket-book 
of  mine  ?     It  is  somewhere  on  your  table.' 

Even  then  the  Princess  did  not  look  up,  but  continued 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  31 

to  write  hurriedly,  as  if  anxious  to  finish  a  sentence 
before  allowing  herself  to  be  disturbed. 

He  went  forward,  placed  one  hand  on  her  shoulder 
and  one  on  the  table,  and  bent  over  her. 

'  We  are  busy  to-day,'  he  said ;  '  but  give  me  my 
pocket-book  ;  I  want  it,  little  one.' 

In  an  instant  she  had  dropped  her  pen,  started  up, 
and  thrown  both  arms  around  his  neck. 

'  Oh,  how  nice  of  you,  Carl !'  she  cried.  '  You  never 
called  me  "  little  one  "  before.  It  sounds  so  pleasant. 
You  are  a  dear,  good  boy !  But  you  must  often  call  me 
"  little  one,"  remember ;'  and  without  a  shade  of 
suspicion  she  kissed  him  warmly  on  both  cheeks. 

The  Baron  was  very  human ;  and  with  the  arms  of 
the  prettiest  girl  in  Lusatia  about  him,  and  the  opportune 
recollection  that  he  had  been  expressly  ordered  not  to 
betray  himself,  he  did  not  resist  the  temptation  to  kiss 
the  Princess  in  return.  He  had  quite  ceased  to  regard 
the  adventure  as  disagreeable. 

'  But  the  pocket-book  ?'  he  repeated,  as  the  Princess 
released  him. 

She  found  it  at  once. 

'Here  it  is,'  she  said  ;  '  but  you  don't  deserve  to  have 
it,  for,  you  know,  you  haven't  yet  told  me  what  she 
says.' 

'  What  who  says  ?'  asked  Yon  Dalhoff. 

The  Princess  burst  out  laughing. 

'  Surely  there  is  only  one  "  she  "  for  the  man  who  is 
in  love,  Carl.  I  shall  tell  her  about  this,  and  if 
Griselda  doesn't  at  once  decline  to  have  anything  more 


32  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

to  do  with  you,  she  will  be  a  perfect  angel  of  forgive- 
ness.' 

'  What  she  says  will  wait,'  said  Von  Dalhoff,  who  was 
glad  to  find  that  '  she '  was  the  Princess  of  Stormarn, 
to  whom  the  Emperor  was  engaged. 

1  Wait  ?  Of  course  it  won't  wait,'  declared  the 
Princess.  '  I  do  believe  that  you  actually  haven't  read 
her  letter  yet,  and  that  that  is  why  you  won't  tell  me.' 

'  Tut,  tut !'  said  the  Baron,  as  he  made  a  bold  snatch 
at  the  pocket-book,  which  the  Princess  still  held  ;  but 
he  missed  it.  '  I  am  in  a  hurry,  Nan,'  he  pleaded ;  '  I 
really  am  !' 

'  Of  course  ;  you  always  are  !  That's  why  you  haven't 
read  poor  Griselda's  letter  yefc.     I  call  it  cruelty.' 

The  Baron  made  another  dash  for  the  prize,  and  that 
time  secured  it ;  but  he  was  hotly  chased  by  the  Prin- 
cess as  he  beat  a  retreat,  and  he  only  escaped  from  her 
by  laughingly  shutting  the  door  in  her  face. 

In  the  other  room  he  found  the  Emperor  looking  very 
grave. 

'  This  has  gone,'  said  his  Majesty,  as  he  again  locked 
the  door,  '  a  good  deal  farther  than  I  intended.  I  have 
done  the  Princess  an  injustice.  I  did  not  foresee  that 
she  would  kiss  you.  That  must  be  avoided  in  the 
future.  In  the  meantime  I  must  ask  you  to  give  me 
your  word  never  to  make  gossip  out  of  what  has  hap- 
pened.' 

'  Sire,'  said  Von  Dalhoff  proudly,  '  I  have  the  honour 
to  be  an  officer  and  a  gentleman.' 

'If  I  did  not  think  so,  you  would  not  be  here,'  re- 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  33 

turned  the  Emperor.  '  I  have  nothing,  indeed,  to 
reproach  you  with ;  you  carried  out  your  orders  admir- 
ably, and  you  were  not  suspected.  Now,  Baron,  tell  me 
honestly  and  frankly,  what  are  your  wishes  in  life  ?' 

'  To  do  my  duty,  sire,  and  to  serve  your  Majesty  with 
all  my  ability.' 

'Then,'  said  the  Emperor,  'I  will  be  frank  with  you. 
For  some  time  I  have  found  my  duties — and  especially 
my  official  duties  of  the  more  formal  categories — terribly 
irksome.  I  have  not,  to  be  brief,  time  in  which  to  per- 
form them.  They  need  the  energies  of  more  than  one 
man.  Half  of  them  could  quite  well  be  carried  out  by  you, 
not  as  my  formal  representative,  but  merely  as  one  who 
is  like  me.  You  could  efficiently  appear  at  the  window 
when  they  change  the  guard  ;  you  could  relieve  me  of 
the  burden  of  having  to  drive  in  the  park,  when  I  wiuld 
rather  be  at  home  in  my  library,  and  so  forth ;  and  no 
one  would  be  any  the  worse,  so  long  as  everyone  was 
content  to  believe  that  you  were  I ;  while  I  should 
benefit  by  gaining  proportionate  leisure  for  study  and 
recreation.  Do  you  now  understand  my  motives  and  my 
projects  ?  Are  you  disposed — for  here  I  do  not  com- 
mand— to  be  my  loyal,  devoted  and  self-sacrificing 
assistant  in  the  performance  of  some  of  the  public  duties 
of  my  position  ?' 

Von  Dalhoff  was  astonished. 

'  If,  sire,'  he  said,  '  I  can  be  of  such  use  to  your 
Majesty,  you  may  be  assured  that  no  effort  and  no 
devotion  on  my  part  shall  be  lacking ;  but  I  make  bold 
to  submit  to  your  Majesty  that  the  project  is  one  in 

3 


34  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

which  I  cannot  guarantee  to  be  an  always  successful 
actor.  The  role  is  a  difficult  one  to  play,  and  perhaps, 
sire,  the  playing  of  it  may  not  always  be  of  advantage 
to  your  Majesty's  interests.' 

'All  that,'  said  the  Emperor,  'must,  if  only  you  be 
loyal,  be  my  risk.  I  have  carefully  thought  the  matter 
over.  On  the  one  hand,  I  must  have  more  leisure ;  on 
the  other,  my  people  must  not  be  deprived  of  whatever 
pleasure  results  to  them  from  looking  upon  an  automaton 
clothed  in  my  uniform.  If  you  agree,  it  is  for  me  to 
scheme  and  for  you  to  carry  out.  When  you  are  not 
posing  as  my  double,  you  will  be  yourself,  and  will  be  at 
liberty  to  dispose  of  your  time  as  you  like.  When  you 
are  posing  as  my  double,  I  shall  be  the  Baron  von 
Dalhoff.  To  successfully  carry  out  the  scheme  there 
must  be  perfect  frankness  and  confidence  between  us. 
You  will  be  placed  in  a  position  of  responsibility,  small 
in  comparison  with  mine,  yet  perhaps  greater  than  ever 
subject  has  been  burdened  with  in  Ruhland.  At  the 
same  time  you  will  be  more  useful  than  subject  has  ever 
been.  Loyalty,  secrecy,  devotion,  confidence,  tact — 
these  are  what  you  must  display  if  you  would  serve  me 
well  in  the  position  which  I  offer  you.  I,  for  my  part, 
will  see  to  it  that  you  shall  be  well  recompensed,  and 
that  your  future  shall  be  thoroughly  assured.  It  is  for 
you  now  to  decide.' 

Von  Dalhoff  paced  backwards  and  forwards  thought- 
fully for  several  minutes  before  the  Emperor,  Mho  re- 
marked : 

'  You  hesitate,  then  T 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  35 

*  If  I  hesitate,  sire,'  said  the  Baron,  '  it  is  for  your 
Majesty's  sake,  and  not  for  mine.  The  questions  that 
present  themselves  to  me  are  :  first,  is  this  scheme  to 
your  Majesty's  real  advantage  ?  and  next,  can  I,  if  I 
accept  your  Majesty's  flattering  offer,  give  your  Majesty 
satisfaction  ?' 

'  The  first  question,'  declared  the  Emperor,  '  concerns 
me  only.' 

'As  regards  the  second,'  said  Yon  Dalhoff,  'my  feel- 
ing is  that  in  any  other  position  it  would  never  occur 
to  me  to  distrust  myself ;  but  that,  facing  a  career  so 
delicate  in  its  nature,  so  novel  in  its  outlines,  and  so 
momentous  in  its  possible  bearings  upon  the  welfare,  not 
only  of  your  Majesty,  but  also  of  your  Majesty's  house, 
of  Piuhland,  and  of  Lusatia  in  general,  I  tremble.' 

'And  I  trust,'  said  the  Emperor.  'Is  it  to  be  yes  or 
no?' 

Von  Dalhoff  gazed  for  an  instant  at  his  boots.  Then 
he  said  simply : 

'  I  place  myself  in  your  Majesty's  hands,  to  utilize  my 
devotion,  my  loyalty,  and  my  small  ability  as  your 
Majesty  wills.' 

The  Emperor  advanced,  and  cordially  extended  his 
hand. 

'  Well  decided  !'  he  exclaimed.  '  Now,  my  dear  Von 
Dalhoff,  we  enter  upon  new  relations.  AYe  are  still 
monarch  and  subject,  but  you  become  one  of  my  most 
trusted  friends.  I  shall  not  ask  you  to  at  once  enter 
upon  your  duties.  You  will  remain  for  six  weeks  on 
leave  in  Sandburg  as  my  guest,  living  here  at  the  palace, 


36  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

but  occupying  your  time  as  you  like,  and  showing  your- 
self in  public  places  as  much  as  possible.  In  the 
interim,  in  order  to  encourage  in  the  popular  mind  the 
idea  that  the  Emperor  and  Von  Dalhoff  are  not  really  so 
very  much  alike  after  all,  you  will  permit  your  beard  to 
grow.  When  the  beard  is  grown,  and  has  become 
familiar,  you  shall  one  morning  shave  it  off,  and  substi- 
tute for  it  a  false  beard.  Thus  you,  by  putting  off  the  false 
beard,  will  be  enabled  to  appear  as  Emperor,  while  I,  by 
putting  on  a  similar  false  beard,  will  be  enabled  to  appear 
as  Baron  von  Dalhoff.    Do  you  understand  the  scheme  '?' 

'  Yes,  sire.' 

1  And  there  is  just  one  other  matter.  Circumstances 
may  arise  to  render  it  absolutely  imperative  that  one  of 
us,  while  masquerading  in  the  other  character,  shall  be 
in  a  position  to  at  once  establish  his  real  individuality. 
I  purpose,  therefore,  that  you  and  I  shall  tattoo  one 
another.  You  shall  tattoo  on  my  arm,  "  I  am  the 
Emperor  Carl  "  ;  I  will  tattoo  on  yours,  "  I  am  Wilhelm, 
Baron  von  Dalhoff."  I  have  here  lint,  needles  and 
India-ink.  You  shall  tattoo  me  at  once.  It  is  quite 
simple.  You  merely  prick  out  the  lines  of  the  letters 
until  the  blood  comes,  and  then  you  rub  in  the  ink  ;  and 
it  does  not  take  long.' 

'  I  have  seen  the  process,  sire,  and  understand  it,'  said 
Von  Dalhoff. 

'Capital!  You  may  begin  at  once.'  And  the  Em- 
peror, taking  off  his  coat  and  rolling  up  his  left  sliirt- 
Bleeve  to  the  shoulder,  sat  down  in  a  good  light,  and 
delivered  his  arm  to  the  Baron's  artistic  skill. 


AN  IMPERIAL  TATTOO  37 

1 1  think,'  the  Emperor  remarked  a  few  minutes  later, 
'  that  after  what  happened  just  now  I  must  take  the 
Princess  Nannette  into  my  confidence  as  to  the  arrange- 
ment that  is  to  subsist  between  us.  It  is  not  fair  to 
allow  her  to  deceive  herself.  Besides,  sooner  or  later, 
she  would  certainly  suspect  the  truth,  for  she  will  neces- 
sarily see  you  almost  every  day ;  and,  although  you  have 
so  successfully  imposed  upon  her  for  a  couple  of  minutes, 
it  would  be  a  more  difficult  business  to  impose  upon  her 
for  weeks,  months,  and  years.' 

Yon  Dalhoff  heard  this  conclusion  with  mixed  feel- 
ings. He  was  glad  that  there  was  a  prospect  that  he 
would  see  a  great  deal  of  the  Princess,  for,  in  truth,  his 
adventure  with  her  had  already  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  him.  On  the  other  hand,  he  was  half  sorry  that 
she  was  to  be  taken  into  the  Emperor's  confidence,  for 
he  could  not  but  suspect  that  in  that  case  there  would  be 
no  possibility  of  any  repetition  of  the  delightful  experi- 
ences of  that  day. 

'  May  I  ask,  sire,'  demanded  the  Baron,  '  whether  you 
intend  to  inform  her  Pioyal  Highness  that  it  was  not  your 
Majesty  who  just  now  entered  the  next  room?  Surely  it 
is  not  necessary  to  expose  her  Pioyal  Highness  to  that 
confusion,  and  so  to  expose  me  to  her  just  resentment.' 

'  Prick  deeper,  my  dear  Von  Dalhoff ;  you  are  treating 
me  too  tenderly,'  said  the  Emperor.  '  No  ;  I  think  that  I 
need  not  tell  the  Princess  about  that.  Six  weeks  hence, 
when  you  are  ready  to  enter  upon  your  duties,  she  will 
have  forgotten  to-day's  incident,  and  I  shall  be  able  to 
explain  to  her  our  arrangement  without  awakening  her 


38  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

suspicions.  But  confide  in  her  I  must,  for  you  perceive 
that  here  in  the  palace,  where  the  Princess,  of  course, 
moves  about  as  she  will,  it  might  happen  that  she  should 
one  day  come  upon  two  Emperors  or  two  Von  Dalhoffs  in 
the  same  room.  That  would  arouse  suspicion,  even  if  it 
did  not  arouse  alarm.  I  apprehend  no  danger  from 
others  ;  but  the  Princess  is  so  situated  that  whether  or 
not  we  deliberately  confide  the  secret  to  her,  she  must 
infallibly  know  it  in  the  course  of  time.' 

'  I  am  deeply  grateful  to  you,  sire,  for  accepting  my 
suggestion,'  said  the  Baron.  '  You  will  spare  the 
Princess  pain,  and  me  you  will  save  from  her  Ptoyal 
Highness's  displeasure.  I  think,  sire,  the  arm  is  now 
well  tattooed.' 

The  Emperor  rose,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  mirror, 
examined  his  arm.  Then,  having  expressed  his  satis- 
faction, he  resumed  his  coat,  and  began  operations  on 
Von  Dalhoff,  who  had  exchanged  places  with  him. 
The  Emperor,  a  man  who  always  concentrated  himself 
upon  one  thing  at  a  time,  worked  without  talking,  and 
the  Baron  had  leisure  to  reflect  upon  the  future  that  was 
opening  out  before  him. 

Upon  the  whole  he  rather  liked  it.  It  promised  to  be 
adventurous  and  exciting ;  it  could  not  fail  to  be  interest- 
ing ;  it  might  be  very  useful.  Above  all,  it  was  associated 
with  the  Princess  Nannette,  and  he  still  felt  her  kiss 
upon  his  cheek,  and  almost  blushed  at  the  recollection. 
Poor  Von  Dalhoff !  Before  the  day  was  over  he  began  to 
bu.spect  that  ho  was  in  love. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

BOLTEH'S    GUN. 

While  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff  was  engaged  in  growing  a 
beard,  and  in  regretting  that  it  might  at  any  moment 
become  his  duty  to  show  himself  with  a  stubbly  chin  to 
the  Princess  Nannette,  Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum — rich,  irre- 
sponsible, and  with  plenty  of  desirable  material  for  the 
editor  of  Scrarpner' 8  Magazine — was  crossing  the  Atlantic 
in  a  White  Star  liner. 

Hoodlum  was  well  known  on  that  great  highway.  He 
was  on  good  terms  with  all  the  captains ;  there  were  on 
board  at  least  a  dozen  of  his  private  friends,  and  half 
the  saloon  passengers  had  sufficient  acquaintance  with 
his  books  and  his  magazine  articles  to  cause  them 
involuntarily  to  associate  him  in  their  minds  with  the 
Lusatian  Emperor. 

There  is  on  earth  no  race  which  takes  quite  so  much 
interest  as  the  free  and  mdependent  American  race  does 
in  the  doings  and  sayings  of  the  titled  people  of  the  eli'ete 
Old  World. 

Whenever,  therefore,  in  the  smoking-room  or  music- 
room  of  the  Chromatic,  Esek  was  prevailed  upon  to  talk 


40  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

about  the  Emperor,  he  always  secured  a  numerous  and 
attentive  audience.  Esek  did  not  usually  need  a  great 
amount  of  persuasion  ere  he  began,  for  the  Emperor  was  a 
subject  which  lay  very  near  the  surface  of  his  thoughts, 
and  he  was  never  tired  of  proclaiming  the  cleverness, 
energy,  and  self-sacrifices  of  his  friend  and  hero. 

No  one  on  board  appeared  to  be  more  eager  to  listen 
to  these  recitals  than  the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs. 

Mr.  Snaggs,  who  was  himself  a  most  witty  and 
resourceful  story-teller,  called  himself,  and  was  called, 
'the  Hon.'  on  the  strength  of  the  fact  that  at  some 
distant  period  of  his  career  he  had  been  a  railroad  or 
insurance  commissioner  in  a  Western  State.  He  also 
called  himself,  and  was  called,  'Colonel.'  The  only 
reason  that  has  ever  been  suggested  for  this  is  that  his 
father,  his  grandfather,  and  all  his  brothers  were,  or  had 
been,  also  called  '  Colonel,'  and  that  he  thus,  by  inherit- 
ance and  family  influence,  was  afflicted  with  an  uncon- 
querable tendency  to  take  the  title.  It  is  generally 
admitted  that  he  was  never  in  the  United  States  army, 
and  only  his  most  impressive  and  injudicious  friends 
assert  that  he  ever  belonged  to  any  State  militia.  By 
profession  he  was  a  speculator  and  a  diner-out.  His 
speculation  found  a  field  not,  for  the  most  part,  on  the 
stock  exchanges  of  Europe  and  America,  but  in  less  fre- 
quented places.  He  was  always  mixed  up  with  a  consider- 
able number  of  mysterious '  good  things,'  concerning  which 
the  public  journals  appeared  to  know  nothing,  but  which 
seldom  failed  to  be  exceedingly  remunerative,  if  not  to  all 
engaged  in  them,  at  all  events  to  Colonel  Snaggs.     He 


BOLTER'S  GUN  41 

secured  concessions,  he  helped  to  make  'corners,'  he 
formed  syndicates,  and  he  planned  trusts.  Yet  none  of 
his  numerous  money -making  schemes  occupied  any 
serious  portion  of  his  time,  nearly  the  whole  of  which 
was  given  up  to  travelling  and  social  enjoyment. 

In  London,  where  society  has  scarcely  learnt  to  dis- 
criminate between  Americans  and  Americans,  and  where, 
in  consequence,  Colonel  Snaggs  found  the  entree  easier 
than  he  found  it  in  Boston,  in  Philadelphia,  in  Balti- 
more, or  even  in  New  York  or  Chicago,  the  Hon.  Barn- 
well, in  spite  of  his  crudeness  of  manner  and  roughness 
of  diction,  was  a  notable  lion.  He  was  a  most  amusing 
talker,  provided  only  that  the  listener  was  not  capable  of 
being  shocked ;  but  as  Colonel  Snaggs  found  it  impossible 
to  be  amusing  upon  any  other  conditions,  and  as  he  had 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  world  to  be  aware  that  he 
must  not  tell  his  most  boisterous  stories,  flavoured  with 
his  most  startling  ejaculations,  in  the  presence  of  English- 
men's wives,  daughters,  and  sisters,  he  was  a  social 
failure  whenever  a  lady  was  near  him.  At  dinner-parties 
he  was  dull  and  awkward  until  the  men  were  left  alone. 
Then  only  he  uncorked  the  excessively  strong  wine  of  his 
rough  wit,  and  with  it  kept  the  table  in  a  roar  until  the 
small  hours. 

An  American  of  this  type  receives  undoubtedly  more 
toleration  at  the  hands  of  Englishmen  than  at  the  hands 
of  people  of  the  better  classes  among  his  own  country- 
men. In  England  he  is  permitted  to  riot  in  a  club 
smoking-room  or  at  table  after  dinner ;  in  America  his 
natural  sphere  is  within  easy  distance  of  the  bar  of  a  big 


42  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

hotel.  For  this  reason  Snaggs,  save  by  name,  was 
almost  unknown  to  Hoodlum,  who  would  have  sought 
his  society  as  little  in  Europe  as  in  the  United  States. 
But  on  board  ship  space  is  limited,  and  there  is  little 
privacy,  and  Hoodlum,  unless  he  was  prepared  to  con- 
fine himself  to  his  cabin  and  to  the  promenade-deck  of 
the  Chromatic,  had,  like  others,  to  make  up  his  mind  to 
take  his  saloon  and  smoking-room  acquaintances  as  he 
found  them.  The  alternative  admitted  of  very  little 
hesitation ;  and,  rather  than  be  disagreeable,  Esek  sub- 
mitted to  as  much  of  the  Colonel's  intimacy  as  he  could 
not,  without  rudeness,  escape  from. 

One  evening  Hoodlum  had  been  giving  some  instances 
of  the  Emperor's  insatiable  appetite  for  new  inventions, 
and  of  his  rapid  digestion  of  all  their  details. 

'  I  believe,'  he  had  said,  '  that  no  man  living  is  more 
quick  to  seize  and  comprehend  any  freshly-discovered 
principle  or  any  novel  demonstration,  and  I  am  sure  that 
no  one  is  more  eager  to  become  familiar  with  all  useful 
improvements.' 

On  the  following  morning  the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs 
was  unusually  silent  and  pensive.  He  did  not  enter  the 
smoking-room ;  he  omitted  swallowing  his  ten  o'clock 
cocktail ;  and,  although  there  was  a  big  cigar  in  his 
mouth  as  he  walked  the  deck,  he  merely  chewed  one 
end  of  it  and  had  forgotten  to  light  the  other.  He 
appeared  to  be  studying  some  abstruse  and  important 
problem.  His  eyes  were  seldom  raised  from  the  planks 
at  his  feet ;  and  when,  as  occasionally  happened,  one  of 
his  friends  attempted  to  join  him  in  his  promenade,  or 


BOLTERS  GUN  43 

to  engage  him  in  conversation,  Snaggs  turned  aside,  as 
if  all  intercourse  with  his  fellow-creatures  was  distasteful. 
So  absorbed,  indeed,  did  the  Colonel  remain  thai  even 
when  the  gong  sounded  for  luncheon  he  paid  no  attention 
to  it,  and  still  paced  backwards  and  forwards,  as  if  in 
greater  doubt  and  difficulty  than  ever. 

'  Not  going  down,  Colonel"?'  cried  an  English  traveller, 
upon  whose  face  delight  at  the  welcome  announcement 
was  plainly  written.     '  Feeling  a  bit  squeamish,  eh  ?' 

'Oh  no,'  murmured  the  Colonel  savagely.  'I  don't 
need  any  of  your  blasted  lunch  !' 

Yet  soon  afterwards  the  Hon.  Barnwell's  gloomy 
manner  brightened.  He  stopped  on  his  monotonous 
promenade  ;  he  stood  with  his  hands  thrust  beneath  his 
coat-tails  and  gazed  downwards,  as  if  at  some  particular 
spot  upon  the  deck ;  he  transferred  his  half-chewed 
cigar  from  the  right  to  the  left  side  of  his  mouth,  and 
then,  realizing  that  it  was  not  lighted,  flung  it  away ; 
and  he  whistled  a  long,  shrill  note.  Finally  he  ejacu- 
lated :  '  Gosh  !  that  will  catch  him  every  time  !'  and,  ap- 
pearing to  suddenly  awake  to  his  position,  his  surround- 
ings, and  the  fact  that  some  hours  had  elapsed  since 
breakfast,  he  hurried  down  to  the  saloon,  where,  in  five 
minutes'  time,  he  was  telling  one  of  his  most  impossible 
and  strongly-adjectived  stories. 

After  luncheon  he  lay  in  wait  for  Hoodlum  on  deck. 

1  Take  one  of  my  cigars,  Mr.  Hoodlum,'  he  said 
affably,  as  he  offered  his  case. 

Hoodlum,  who  had  been  in  the  act  of  searching  for 
a  cigar  of  his  own,  did  not  feel  justified  in  refusing. 


44  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'  They're  just  prime,'  continued  Snaggs.  '  They  cost 
me  sixty  dollars  a  hundred,  so  you've  no  need  to  hesitate 
about  smokin'  one.' 

Hoodlum  felt  inclined  to  offer  his  benefactor  half  a 
crown,  as  the  exact  equivalent  of  the  favour,  but  re- 
strained himself. 

'  I  have  no  doubt,  Colonel,'  he  said,  '  that  they  are 
excellent.' 

'  Fit  for  kings,  sir — fit  for  emperors  !' 

Hoodlum  laughed.  '  The  only  Emperor  whom  I  know,' 
he  said  simply,  '  smokes  cigars  that  do  not  cost  him 
more  than  seven  or  eight  dollars  a  hundred.' 

'  Well,  now,  that's  mighty  cur'ous,'  commented  Snaggs. 
'  He  must  be  a  remarkable  man,  that  Emperor.  "What 
you  were  sayin'  about  him  last  night  was  mighty  in- 
terestin',  and  it  set  me  wonderin'.' 

'  Indeed !  What  did  it  set  you  wondering  about, 
Colonel  ?' 

'  Well,  it's  this  way,'  said  Snaggs  :  '  I  guess  you  have 
heard  of  Major  Jack  Bolter's  gun  ?' 

'I'm  afraid  I  haven't,'  confessed  Hoodlum.  'Who  is 
Major  Bolter,  and  what  is  his  gun?' 

'  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  sir,  that  3'ou  have  never 
heard  of  Jack  Bolter — Major  Jack  Bolter,  of  Arkansas  ? 
Why,  sir,  he's  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  our 
great  country !' 

'  It's  very  stupid  of  me,  no  doubt,  but  I  really  haven't,' 
admitted  Hoodlum. 

'  Well,'  said  the  Colonel,  airily  waving  his  hand  to 
seaward,  '  that  shows  what  a  mean  thing  fame  is.     You 


BOLTERS  GUN  45 

have  heard  of  Bowie,  of  Hotchkiss,  of  Maxim,  of  Norden- 
feldt,  and  of  Colt  ?' 

'Certainly,'  assented  Hoodlum. 

'  Well,  it's  all  the  more  surprisin'  that  you  haven't 
heard  of  Bolter,  who  is  boss  of  the  whole  crowd.  But 
you  must  have  heard  of  Bolter's  gun  !' 

'  I  positively  never  have !  What  is  Bolter's  gun  ?' 
asked  Hoodlum. 

'  See  here.  Major  Jack  Bolter,  of  Arkansas,  is  a  par- 
ticular friend  of  mine,  and  he  has  invented  a  gun  which 
is  the  most  remarkable  gun  of  modern  times.  It  don't 
amount  to  much  in  the  matter  of  weight ;  you  can  carry 
it  in  any  boat,  or  put  it  on  a  railroad-car  or  on  a  waggon. 
The  point  about  it  is  the  shot,  and  the  stuff  in  the  shot. 
There's  the  subject  of  Major  Bolter's  patent.  That 
shot  carries  an  explosive — for  bustin',  you  understand 
■ — ten  thousand  times  as  strong  as  dynamite.  If  you 
want  to  produce  an  effect  equal  to  what  would  be  pro- 
duced by  ten  thousand  pounds  of  dynamite,  you  just 
sling  in  one  ordinary  pound  of  Bolter's  stuff  and  fire 
away.  Where  it  strikes  it  busts.  Never  fails ;  ain't 
dangerous  to  handle;  keeps  in  all  climates,  and  don't 
cost  much.  I  was  wonderin'  if  that  Emperor  wouldn't 
just  feel  interested  some  in  Jack  Bolter's  gun.' 

'  I  should  think  that  it  is  very  likely,'  replied  Hoodlum. 
'  It  must  be,  as  you  say,  a  very  extraordinary  invention, 
and  the  enormous  power  of  the  explosive  is  really 
startling.     Has  it  been  tried  ?' 

1  Only  in  private,  so  far,'  said  Snagga.  '  But  Jack 
Bolter  is  arrangin'    to   have   an  exhibition  trial   of   it 


46  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

somewhere  on  the  Maryland  coast  in  the  matter  of  a 
month's  time ;  and  if  you  feel  like  runnin'  down  to  have 
a  look,  why,  Jack  Bolter  will  be  only  too  proud/ 

'I  shall  be  at  Washington  next  month,'  returned 
Hoodlum,  '  and  if  your  friend  doesn't  mind,  I  should 
like  to  come  over  immensely.' 

'Eight  you  are,  sir,'  said  the  Colonel.  'You  just 
leave  me  your  Washington  address,  and  I'll  see  that 
Jack  Bolter  sends  you  an  invite.  Bring  your  friends 
along,  too,  if  you  like  ;  Jack  will  be  proud  to  meet  them. 
And  if,  when  you  have  seen  the  gun,  mind,  you  think, 
same  as  me,  that  it's  the  most  remarkable  weapon  of 
the  present  day,  why,  tell  the  Emperor.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  you  don't  think  any  great  shakes  of  it,  don't 
say  a  word.  But,  don't  you  forget  it :  that  gun  would 
be  mighty  useful  and  interestin'  to  the  Emperor.  It's 
bound  to  revolutionize  war.' 

'  If  I  think  so,  I  shall  certainly  let  the  Emperor  know,' 
declared  Hoou.um ;  '  though  I  don't  profess  to  under- 
stand very  much  about  guns  and  explosives,  and  am, 
I  am  afraid,  scarcely  competent  to  form  an  opinion.' 
And  being  just  then  anxious  to  assist  a  lady  who  was 
in  difficulties  with  her  deck-chair,  he  left  the  Colonel, 
who  walked  away  apparently  in  great  good-humour. 

Hoodlum  was  really  even  more  interested  than  Colonel 
Snaggs  supposed  by  the  account  of  the  Bolter  gun.  He 
was,  it  is  true,  an  American,  but  he  had  been  educated 
and  had  lived  much  in  Lusatia,  and  he  was  honoured 
with  the  Emperor's  intimacy.  Not  unnaturally,  therefore, 
he  was  only  less  anxious  for  the  prosperity  and  welfare 


BOLTER'S  GUN  47 

of  Lusatia  than  he  was  for  the  prosperity  and  welfare 
of  his  own  country ;  and  knowing,  as  he  did,  that 
Lusatia  had  powerful  enemies,  he  saw  at  once  that  if 
all  the  claims  advanced  by  Snaggs  on  behalf  of  Major 
Bolter's  invention  could  be  substantiated,  it  might  be 
of  extreme  importance  to  Lusatia  to  secure  exclusive 
rights  in  the  novelty.  He  determined,  consequently — 
at  the  cost,  if  necessary,  of  his  personal  convenience — to 
witness  the  trials,  and,  should  they  be  successful,  to 
report  them  privately  and  promptly  to  his  imperial 
friend.  Only  his  natural  antipathy  to  Snaggs  had  pre- 
vented him  from  asking  for  full  details. 

Seeing  that  at  that  moment  not  only  Bolter's  gun, 
but  Bolter  himself,  existed  solely  in  the  fertile  brain  of 
the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs,  Hoodlum's  abstention  from 
further  questionings  probably  saved  the  Colonel  from  a 
certain  amount  of  embarrassment.  There  is  no  reason, 
however,  to  fear  that  Snaggs  would  have  failed  to  rise  to 
the  occasion  if  Hoodlum  had  chosen  to  spend  the  rest 
of  the  day  in  talking  about  the  gun  and  its  supposed 
inventor,  for  the  Colonel  was  a  man  of  marvellous  re- 
source. Indeed,  that  very  evening,  in  the  smoking- 
room,  as  if  quite  unconscious  of  Hoodlum's  presence, 
he  let  off  two  amusing  personal  recollections  of  the 
gallant  Bolter,  both  of  which  were  designed  to  illustrate 
the  remarkable  nature  of  that  mythical  individual's 
mental  accomplishments. 

So  discreetly  and  so  consistently  did  Snaggs  play  his 
cards,  that,  ere  the  voyage  was  over,  Hoodlum  had 
begun  to  look  forward  quite  anxiously  to  the  promised 


48  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

trials  and  to  the  meeting  with  Bolter ;  and  that  he  went 
so  far,  in  writing  to  the  Emperor,  as  to  make  mention  of 
what  he  had  in  view,  and  to  express  a  hope  that  the  gun 
might  turn  out  to  be  of  practical  utility  in  Lusatia. 

At  New  York  Hoodlum,  who  did  not  forget  to  leave 
his  address,  both  there  and  at  Washington,  with  the 
Colonel,  drove  to  his  house  in  Madison  Avenue,  and 
Snaggs,  for  whom  some  friends  of  his  own  peculiar  class 
were  waiting  on  the  wharf,  departed  with  them  to  an 
'  up-town  '  hotel,  where,  in  accordance  with  his  invariable 
practice  on  returning  from  one  of  his  European  ex- 
peditions, he  gave  a  big  dinner. 

His  friends  were  all  men  who  were  more  or  less 
connected  with  his  various  monetary  schemes,  and  the 
dinner  was  the  occasion  chosen  by  Snaggs  for  the 
delivery  to  them  of  an  informal  report  of  his  Trans- 
atlantic operations.  He  was  able  this  time  to  inform 
them  that  he  had  secured  from  a  pauper  princeling  a 
concession  to  erect  and  carry  on,  for  a  period  of  seven 
years,  upon  his  Translucency's  exiguous  territory  a 
gambling  establishment ;  that  he  had  organized,  upon 
principles  which  could  scarcely  fail  to  assure  the  success 
of  the  plan,  a  '  corner '  in  genuine  Eau  de  Cologne  ;  and 
that,  with  some  English  allies,  he  was  maturing  a 
project  for  creating  a  '  trust,'  which  would  have  the 
effect  of  raising  the  retail  price  of  particular  varieties  of 
agricultural  machinery  throughout  Europe  by,  at  least, 
fifteen  per  cent. 

These  and  other  announcements,  combined  with 
plenty   of    excellent   wine    and     the    influence  of    the 


BOLTER'S  GUN  49 

Colonel's  unrestrained  humour,  raised  the  spirits  of 
the  company  to  a  great  height,  and  prepared  them 
for  listening  to  a  proposition,  the  unfolding  of  which 
Snaggs  reserved  until  a  comparatively  late  period  of  the 
evening.  Indeed,  conversation  had  drifted  far  away 
from  business  matters  when  the  Hon.  Barnwell,  after 
having  hammered  upon  the  table  to  obtain  silence,  rose 
and  said  : 

'  Gentlemen  and  fellow-citizens :  before  we  part  this 
evenin'  I  guess  I've  gotten  an  important  matter  to  lay 
before  you,  and  three  important  toasts  for  you  to  drink 
to.  For  the  present  I  will  leave  the  important  matter. 
When  I  come  to  explain  the  toasts,  maybe  you'll  under- 
stand it,  but  if  you  don't — well,  I  s'pose  everyone  here 
knows  how  to  use  his  tongue,  and  can  ask  the  necessary 
questions.  Gentlemen,  the  toasts  are :  "  The  Gull," 
"  The  Bolter  Gun,"  and  "  The  Lusatian  Emperor  ;"  and 
the  reason  why  I  shall  ask  you  to  drink  to  them  with 
full  glasses  is  that,  although  our  various  little  specula- 
tions look  tolerable  rosy  and  promisin',  there's  a  con- 
siderable sight  more  to  be  gotten  out  of  "The  Gull," 
"  The  Bolter  Gun,"  and  "  The  Lusatian  Emperor"  than 
there  is  out  of  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  caboodle. 
Maybe  I've  given  the  toasts  in  the  wrong  order ;  maybe 
I  ought  to  put  his  Majesty  first.  No  harm  was  meant. 
Gentlemen,  if  you  read  the  papers — you  know  his 
Majesty  some,  I  reckon.  He's  a  young  monarch,  new 
to  the  business ;  chokefull  of  energy,  burnin'  for 
novelty,  and  dyin'  to  get  acquainted  with  all  kinds  of 
fresh  notions.     Gentlemen,  I  give  you  "  The  Lusatian 

4 


50  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Emperor."  Next  I  give  you  "  The  Bolter  Gun."  The 
Bolter  gun  is  the  all-firedest,  out-and-outest,  most 
astonishin'  weapon  of  this  century.  It  is  invented  solely 
to  meet  the  Emperor's  cravin'  for  novelty,  and  conse- 
quently it  is  bound  to  be  a  tolerable  tall  kind  of  gun.  No 
ordinary  gun  will  fill  the  bill.  I  had  a  notion  at  one  time 
that  the  Bolter  gun  would  be  satisfactory  if  it  discharged 
a  matter  of,  say,  a  hundred  thousand  balls  a  minute, 
to  a  distance  of,  say,  ten  miles ;  but  I  saw  difficulties  in 
the  way,  and  I  wasn't  sure  that  that  kind  of  weapon  in 
these  days  would  be  tall  enough  to  catch  on  with  the 
Emperor.  So  I  fixed  up  in  my  mind  a  gun  of  a  more 
staggerin'  character.  The  real  Bolter  gun  is  a  little 
thing,  weighin'  no  more,  I'll  s'pose,  nor  an  ord'nary 
field-piece.  Into  this  you  put  a  cartridge  and  a  shot. 
The  only  cur'ous  thing  about  the  Bolter  gun  is  that  it 
will  carry  an  extr'ord'nary  kind  of  distance,  and  never 
miss ;  and  there  ain't  nothing  out  of  the  common  about 
the  cartridge.  But  the  shot  is  a  real  little  marvel.  It 
holds  just  one  pound  of  Bolter's  explosive — mind  you, 
only  one  pound.  That  one  pound  is  exactly  equal  to 
ten  thousand  pounds  of  the  very  best  No.  1  dynamite. 
The  explosive  is  safe  to  handle.  A  child  can  play  with 
it,  for  it's  just  ord'nary  coal-dust.  But  where  the  shot 
strikes  it  busts  ;  and  where  it  busts,  why,  geewillikins ! 
everything's  bound  to  go.  This  Bolter  gun,  gentlemen, 
is  the  invention  of  my  very  particular  friend,  Major  Jack 
Bolter,  of  Arkansas.  Maybe  you  don't  know  him.  It 
would  be  cur'ous  if  you  did  ;  he  ain't  born  yet.  No 
more's  the  Bolter  gun ;  but  the  gun  can  be  born  any  day. 


BOLTER'S  GUN  51 

You  take  an  ord'nary  gun — any  old  field-piece  that's 
been  sold  off  a  Government  scrap-heap — and  you  fix  up  a 
grand  experimental  demonstration  soruewheres  out  of  the 
way.  Meantime  you  carefully  prepare  your  hand.  Out 
at  sea,  for  instance,  you  have  a  boat  anchored — a  little 
thing  that  looks  like  a  speck  in  the  distance.  On  the 
beach,  three  miles  away,  you  have  a  target  marked  out 
on  a  lump  of  rock ;  and  so  on.  In  the  boat  }'ou  have 
ten  thousand  pounds  of  No.  1  dynamite.  Under  the 
rock  you  have  the  same.  And  from  the  boat  and  from 
the  rock  you  have  wires  laid  down  to  some  place  where 
my  particular  friend,  Major  Jack  Bolter,  or  one  of  his 
particular  friends,  stands  watchin'  the  interestin'  pro- 
ceedin's.  Well,  gentlemen,  you  fire  the  Bolter  gun  at 
the  boat  or  rock.  It  never  misses,  mind  you ;  for  just 
at  the  proper  moment  Major  Jack  Bolter  takes  care  to 
press  a  button,  and  up  goes  ten  thousand  pounds  of 
dynamite.  I've  told  you  about  the  Emperor  and  about 
the  gun.  I'm  now  goin'  to  speak  to  you  about  the 
"  Gull,"  who  in  private  life  is  Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum,  of 
this  city.  Mr.  Hoodlum  is  the  particular  friend  of  the 
Emperor,  just  as  I  am  the  particular  friend  of  Major 
Bolter ;  only  in  one  case  the  friendship  is  a  solemn  fact, 
and  in  the  other  it  ain't  so,  not  much.  I  don't  want  to 
tell  you,  gentlemen,  that  if  Mr.  Hoodlum  happens  to  see 
the  extr'ord'nary  effect  of  that  Bolter  gun,  he's  bound  to 
sit  down  at  once  and  write  word  to  the  Emperor,  and 
that  when  the  Emperor  gets  the  letter  he's  bound  to 
want  powerful  bad  to  see  the  gun  at  work.' 

Here   the  Hon.   Barnwell    Snaggs   refreshed   himself 


52  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

with  champagne,  and  smiled  modestly  at  the  applause 
which  arose  from  all  parts  of  the  table. 

'  What  I've  been  say  in',  gentlemen,'  he  continued,  '  is 
in  the  way  of  preface  to  what's  got  to  come.  If  we 
haven't  invented  the  Bolter  gun,  it  stands  to  reason 
that,  though  we  may  exhibit  it  to  Mr.  Hoodlum,  we 
can't  sell  it  to  the  Emperor.  If  I  know  anythin'  of  that 
young  man,  the  very  first  thing  that  he'd  be  dyin'  to  do 
would  be  to  fire  the  gun  with  his  own  hands  at  his  own 
mark ;  and  it's  a  million  dollars  to  a  red  cent  that  his 
own  mark  wouldn't  happen  to  have  ten  thousand  pounds 
of  dynamite  under  it  and  a  wire  leadin'  to  Major  Bolter. 
We  can't,  therefore,  sell  the  gun.  But  we  may  do 
a  considerable  bigger  deal  than  that.  Has  it  ever 
occurred  to  any  of  you  to  figure  up  the  market  value  of 
a  young  and  popular  Emperor  ?' 

He  paused,  and  gazed  around  him  with  such  an  air  as 
may  have  been  assumed  by  Columbus,  when  he  was  at 
length  able  to  demonstrate  to  his  followers  that  he  had 
not  been  pursuing  a  mere  phantom. 

1  Has  it  ever,'  repeated  Snaggs,  '  occurred  to  any  of 
you  gentlemen  to  figure  up  the  market  value  of  the 
Lusatian  Emperor?  The  question  is,  "What  would 
the  Lusatians  be  prepared  to  plank  down  for  him  if 
to-morrow  we  had  him  and  they  hadn't?"  Well,  I've 
figured  things  up,  and  I  calculate  that  from  their  point 
of  view  he'd  be  dirt  cheap  at  twenty-five  million  dollars. 
The  people  over  there  think  a  powerful  deal  of  him  :  the 
family's  rich,  and  all  over  Europe  he  has  rich  relations, 
who'd  be  glad  enough  to  pool  some  of  their  savin's  in 


BOLTERS  GUN  53 

order  to  ransom  him.  Now,  see  here  !  I  don't  propose 
violent  measures.  What  I  propose  is  this.  We  exhibit 
the  Bolter  gun  to  Mr.  Hoodlum.  In  due  course  the 
Emperor  will  be  dyin'  to  see  it,  too.  We  will  be  dyin' 
to  please  him.  We  will  buy  or  rent  a  fast  ship — such  a 
steamer  as  the  Chromatic — and  we  will  fix  her  up  with 
half  a  dozen  Bolter  guns,  and  take  a  pleasure  trip  in 
her  to  Europe.  Lyin'  somewheres  off  one  of  the  ports 
of  Lusatia,  we  will  send  word  that  if  the  Emperor  will 
be  so  obligin'  as  to  have  some  targets  set  out  for  us  to 
blaze  at,  we  will  be  particularly  delighted  to  smash  them 
up,  and  to  have  his  Majesty  on  board  to  see  the  fun, 
and  to  fire  the  guns,  s'posin'  he  feels  that  way.  Well, 
he'll  come,  I  guess.  And  then  the  steamer  will  just 
skip  ;  and  the  Emperor  will  enjoy  the  breezes  with  us, 
as  our  guest,  until  his  relations  and  subjects  make  it 
convenient  to  plank  down  twenty-five  millions.  I've 
fixed  up  all  the  plans.  The  ship  will  be  full  of  coal,  and 
she  will  go  south,  where  she  can't  be  followed.  When 
we  have  had  a  good  time  and  have  gotten  the  dollars, 
all  we  will  have  to  do  is  to  go  ashore  somewheres  quietly, 
change  our  names,  and  settle  down  like  ord'nary  citizens. 
Maybe  we'll  persuade  the  Emperor  not  to  be  ugly  after- 
wards. But,  whether  or  no,  there  are  plenty  of  places 
about  the  world  where  a  man  can  live  safely  and  com- 
fortably for  a  year  or  two  until  his  little  jokes  have  been 
forgotten.  The  plan's  sound  enough,  and  easy  enough. 
Didn't  they  kidnap  the  Prince  of  Bulgaria  a  few  years 
ago?  Why,  it's  like  shuckin'  peas.  The  only  thing 
that  I'm  afraid  of  is  that  somebody  else  will  think  of 


54  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

kidnappin'  him  before  we  can  get  hold  of  him.  Gentle- 
men, I  give  you  "  The  Lusatian  Emperor,  the  Bolter 
Gun,  and  the  Gull."  ' 

Everyone  rose,  and  there  was  a  storm  of  applause. 
But  it  was  not  until  the  toasts  had  been  laughingly 
honoured,  and  general  conversation  had  been  resumed, 
that  any  of  those  present  began  to  discover,  from  the 
Colonel's  manner,  that  he  had  been  speaking  seriously. 
When  it  fully  appeared  that  this  was  the  case,  the 
project  met  with  almost  general  ridicule. 

'Why,  Colonel,'  objected  one  critic,  'you  would  have 
the  whole  Lusatian  navy  after  you.' 

'  No  warship  yet  built,'  replied  Snaggs,  '  could  catch  a 
steamer  like  the  Chromatic,  which,  moreover,  could  be 
made  to  carry  coal  sufficient  to  take  her  twice  round  the 
world.     No,  sir  ;  I  have  thought  of  that  point.' 

'  You  would  have  an  international  combination  against 
you,  and  all  ports  closed  to  you,'  said  a  second  man. 

'  Let  them  combine  and  let  them  close :  I  don't  care. 
Tell  you  what  it  is,  gentlemen.  I've  fixed  up  all  the 
plans  for  this  deal,  and  I'm  going  through  with  it.  I 
guess  you  can  stand  in,  or  you  can  stand  out.  It  don't 
matter  to  me.  But  you  ought  to  know  that  when 
Barnwell  Snaggs  takes  hold  of  a  big  thing,  he's  apt  to 
stick  to  it  until  he  has  gotten  all  he  wants  out  of  it.' 

In  truth,  Snaggs's  determination  and  persistency 
were  not  less  proverbial  among  his  allies  than  his  extra- 
ordinary good  luck  ;  and  before  the  party  separated,  the 
Colonel,  although  he  had  made  but  one  or  two  actual 
converts,  was  able  to  see  that,  in  the  course  of  a  few 


BOLTERS  GUN  55 

days,  all  the  rest  of  his  guests  would  join  him.  He 
would  not,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  have  exposed 
his  projects  to  them  had  he  not  from  the  first  been 
pretty  sure  of  his  men ;  and  in  this,  as  in  many  other 
bold  strokes  upon  which  he  had  previously  risked  much, 
his  remarkable  knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  espe- 
cially of  its  weaknesses,  served  him  well.  A  week  sufficed 
him  for  talking  over  the  last  of  those  who  had  first 
jeered  and  then  hesitated.  A  second  week  sufficed  him 
for  capturing  a  few  additional  recruits.  And  by  the  end 
of  the  third  week  a  little  knot  of  about  fifty  New7  Yorkers 
were  formally  associated  with  him  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  plan  which  he  had  sketched  out  at  the  dinner. 
Some  were  active  partners  in  the  venture,  and  purposed 
to  accompany  Snaggs  to  Europe  and  to  assist  in  the 
kidnapping  of  the  Emperor,  and  in  the  subsequent 
cruise.  Others  were  sleeping  partners,  and  contented 
themselves  with  subscribing  more  or  less  secretly  to 
the  funds  upon  condition  of  receiving  a  proportionate 
share  of  the  proceeds.  But  nearly  all  were  men  belong- 
ing to  a  single  class  —  a  class  which,  in  New  York,  is 
proportionately  larger  than  in  any  other  big  city  in  the 
world,  and  which  may  be  described  as  the  class  of  the 
dishonest  well-to-do.  Poverty  is  not  the  direct  instigator 
of  their  crimes.  They  wear  diamond  studs  in  the  glare 
of  noon  ;  they  drink  champagne  all  day ;  they  drive 
fine  horses  ;  they  live  in  gaudy  houses.  But  poverty 
indirectly  inspires  them,  for  they  are  most  of  them  '  self- 
made  '  men,  who  have  sprung  from  the  poorest  and 
lowest  ranks,  and  who,  in  their  childhood,  have  existed 


56  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

in  an  atmosphere  where  the  worst  vices  are  regarded 
with  toleration,  and  where  the  blackness  of  a  crime  is 
gauged  simply  by  the  unskilfulness  or  ill-success  of  its 
perpetrator.  The  number  of  men  of  this  character  who 
are  to  be  found  among  the  ward  politicians,  the  saloon 
and  smaller  hotel-keepers,  the  sporting  and  gambling 
fraternity,  and  the  petty  speculators  of  the  empire  city 
is  larger  than  anyone  only  superficially  acquainted  with 
the  by-ways  of  New  York  life  could  possibly  suspect. 
Snaggs,  though  he  was  with  them,  was  not  of  them. 
He  used  these  people  for  his  own  purposes,  and  they 
willingly  recognised  in  him  an  able  leader ;  but  he  pro- 
bably despised  them  fully  as  much  as  Hoodlum  despised 
him. 

As  for  Hoodlum,  his  paths  in  New  York  did  not  run 
parallel  with  those  of  Colonel  Snaggs  and  his  associates. 
He  heard  nothing  more  of  the  Bolter  gun  until  he  moved 
on  to  Washington,  where  one  day,  rather  to  his  surprise, 
he  received  a  nicely-printed  invitation  from  '  The  Bolter 
Gun  and  Explosives  Company '  to  be  present  on  a 
specified  morning  at  a  little  coast  village  near  Cape 
Charles,  Maryland,  and  to  witness  the  promised  demon- 
stration. 

He  went,  he  saw,  and  he  was  conquered. 

What  he  saw  was  a  boat  moored  so  far  out  at  sea  that 
only  with  the  aid  of  a  glass  could  he  distinguish  that  it 
was  a  boat,  and  a  nine-pounder  field  gun,  which,  by  means 
of  the  addition  to  it  and  to  its  carriage  of  a  few  cog- 
wheels and  a  good  deal  of  bright  brass-work,  had  been 
made  to  look  like  a  very  elaborately  designed  piece  of 


BOLTER'S  GUN  57 

machinery.  He  was  shown  a  cylindrical  projectile,  into 
which  a  carefully- weighed  pound  of  coal-dust  was  poured 
by  an  imposing  personage,  who  had  been  introduced  to 
him  as  Major  Jack  Bolter.  He  was  bidden  to  notice 
that  ordinary  powder  was  used  as  a  charge  for  the  gun, 
which  was  duly  loaded  before  his  face.  The  weapon 
was  laid  and  sighted  while  he  looked  on.  He  heard  it 
fired,  for,  to  be  exact,  he  shut  his  eyes  when  he  knew 
that  Major  Bolter  was  about  to  pull  the  lanyard ;  and 
finally,  looking  seaward,  he  saw  the  distant  boat  dis- 
appear in  a  burst  of  smoke  and  flame  and  a  huge 
upheaval  of  water.  Then  to  his  ears  came  the  thud  of 
the  far-off  explosion.  Afterwards  a  similar  projectile 
was  fired  against  a  built-up  cairn  of  large  stones,  placed 
on  the  beach,  at  least  two  miles  from  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun ;  and  the  cairn  also  vanished.  He  walked  down  to 
where  the  cairn  had  stood,  and  found  a  gaping  crater. 
As  a  concluding  experiment,  one  ounce  by  weight  of 
coal-dust  was  placed  upon  an  iron  anvil,  which  had  been 
partially  imbedded  in  the  sand.  A  fuse  was  attached 
and  lighted,  and  the  party  hastily  retreated.  After  the 
explosion  the  anvil  was  discovered  to  be  shattered  into 
several  fragments,  all  of  which  had  been  hurled  to  a 
distance  of  many  yards  from  then-  original  position. 

Hoodlum  felt  that  he  need  ask  to  see  no  more.  He 
congratulated  Snaggs;  he  complimented  the  ingenious 
Bolter ;  and  he  joined  in  the  wonderment  expressed  by 
a  number  of  individuals  whose  names  he  did  not  know, 
but  who,  he  was  quietly  given  to  understand,  were 
special    representatives   of    various   European   Govern- 


58  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

ments,  each  one  of  which  was  more  than  half  inclined  to 
purchase  a  share  of  the  company's  property,  if  only  the 
company  would  consent,  as  it  would  not,  to  concede  a 
right  to  manufacture. 

'  No,,  sir,'  said  Snaggs  ;  '  either  we  continue  to  be  sole 
manufacturers,  or  we  dispose  of  our  entire  and  exclusive 
rights  all  round.  Those  are  our  terms  for  the  Bolter 
gun.' 

Hoodlum  went  back  to  Washington  full  of  what  he 
had  seen  ;  and  that  very  night  he  wrote  enthusiastically 
upon  the  subject  to  the  Emperor,  who,  in  course  of  post, 
replied,  much  less  enthusiastically,  that  he  should  be 
very  glad  of  an  opportunity  of  judging  for  himself  of 
the  capabilities  of  the  gun,  and  that  he  had  no  objection 
if  Hoodlum  chose  to  say  as  much  to  the  company. 

Hoodlum  did  say  as  much  ;  and,  in  return,  he  was 
informed  that  the  company,  anxious  to  display  the 
powers  of  the  weapon  under  the  best  possible  conditions, 
intended  to  charter  a  steamship,  to  mount  on  her  deck 
several  different  patterns  of  the  Bolter  gun,  and  to  take 
her  to  Europe,  prepared  to  exhibit  her  enormously- 
destructive  capacities,  especially  against  floating  targets 
of  all  kinds,  in  the  presence  of  crowned  heads,  naval 
and  military  officials,  and  other  competent  judges. 

Hoodlum  was  delighted.  He  felt  that  he  was  at 
length  in  a  fair  way  to  benefit  his  Lusatian  friends. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

THE    NEW   AIDE-DE-CAMP. 

The   growing  of    Von    Dalhoff's   beard    caused    much 
temporary  excitement  throughout  Lusatia. 

The  cause  of  the  excitement  was  as  follows.  It  has 
been  shown  that  the  Emperor  had  invited  the  Baron  to 
live  in  the  palace  during  the  growing  of  the  beard.  His 
Majesty,  as  a  matter  of  course,  had  also  put  a  court 
carriage  at  the  Baron's  disposal.  One  evening,  at 
sunset,  Von  Dalhoff,  who  wanted  to  get  up  an  appetite 
for  dinner,  took  a  drive  in  the  park  hi  the  western 
suburbs  of  Sandburg.  At  that  time  the  evolution  of 
the  beard  had  progressed  as  far  as  the  ragged  tooth- 
brush stage,  and  although  the  growth  was  long  enough 
to  render  the  young  captain's  appearance  very  unkempt 
and  untidy,  it  was  not  long  enough  to  conceal  his  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  the  Emperor.  The  latter  had  an 
old- standing  habit  of  once  or  .twice  a  week,  when  he 
could  spare  the  time,  driving  in  the  park  at  sunset, 
usually  in  the  company  of  the  Princess  Nannette,  but 
sometimes  alone.  Von  Dalhoff  wore  the  usual  military 
overcoat  and  cap,  and,  as  he  was  in  one  of  the  imperial 


6o  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

carriages,  it  is  not  astonishing  that,  in  the  failing  light, 
he  was  by  very  many  pedestrians  mistaken  for  the 
Emperor.  Next  morning  nearly  all  the  Sandburg  news- 
papers announced  in  large  type  that  his  Majesty  was 
growing  a  beard.  The  reason,  according  to  some,  was 
that  the  doctors  had  recommended  the  sovereign  to 
protect  his  throat.  According  to  others,  the  innovation 
signified  that  his  Majesty  wished  to  pay  a  compliment 
to  his  navy,  the  officers  of  which  wore  beards  much  more 
generally  than  the  officers  of  the  army.  The  matter 
was  next  noticed  and  commented  on  by  the  entire  press 
of  Lusatia  ;  it  became  the  subject  of  leading  articles  in 
the  foreign  newspapers,  many  of  which,  with  marvellous 
sagacity,  connected  the  supposed  growth  with  the  con- 
dition of  European  politics;  and,  finally,  half  the  illus- 
trated journals  throughout  the  world  published  at  the 
week's  end  more  or  less  fanciful  portraits  of  the  newly- 
barbed  Emperor.  Some  gave  him  a  flowing  beard, 
reaching  to  his  chest ;  others  allowed  him  only  a  thin 
■  goatee '  of  the  American  pattern  ;  others  decorated  him 
with  a  French -looking  'imperial;'  and  yet  others 
granted  him  nothing  better  than  a  hideous  '  frill,'  which, 
straggling  up  from  beneath  his  collar,  framed  a  cleanly- 
shaven  face,  and  made  the  picture  look  like  that  of  some 
noted  burglar.  The  excitement  lasted  for  nearly  a 
week;  it  induced  romantic  Lusatian  young  ladies  to 
forward  anonymous  protests  to  the  palace ;  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  quelled  by  the  publication  in  the  official 
Reichszeitung  of  an  unqualified  contradiction,  and  by 
the  appearance  at  a  grand  review  of  the  Emperor,  beard- 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  6I 

less  and  wearing  his  familiar  moustache.  Even  then 
many  people  believed  that  the  growth  of  the  beard  had 
been  allowed  to  begin,  and  had  only  been  stopped  in 
deference  to  popular  clamour;  and  this,  no  doubt,  is 
still  the  conviction  of  some. 

It  was  this  affair  which  hastened  Von  Dalhoff's  formal 
introduction  to  the  Princess  Nannette.  At  breakfast  one 
morning  the  Princess  saw  the  statements  in  the  papers, 
and  naturally  called  her  brother's  attention  to  them. 

'They  have  mistaken  my  new  aide-de-camp  and 
confidential  secretary  for  me,'  said  the  Emperor. 

'What!'  exclaimed  the  Princess,  who  had  been 
accustomed  only  to  imperial  aides-de-camp  of  mature 
age.     '  Who  is  the  favoured  general  ?' 

'The  favoured  general,'  laughed  the  Emperor,  'is  a 
captain— the  Baron  von  Dalhoff.  I  have  selected  him 
on  account  of  this  very  resemblance  to  me,  in  hopes 
that  on  unimportant  occasions  he  may  be  able  to 
represent  me,  and  so  to  save  me  a  little  unnecessary 
fatigue  and  waste  of  time.' 

'  Oh,  Carl !  Surely  you  are  not  going  to  enter  upon 
such  a  dangerous  course.  What  will  the  people  think 
if  they  ever  discover  that  you  have  been  imposing  upon 
them?  Why  didn't  you  consult  me  before  coming  to 
this  extraordinary  decision  ?' 

'The  simple  fact  is,'  said  the  Emperor,  'that  unless 
I  can  relieve  myself  of  some  of  my  most  formal  and 
mechanical  duties,  I  shall  soon  be  unable  to  perform 
those  which  are  of  the  first  importance;  for  the  work 
of  my  position  is  too  much  for  one  man.    I  admit  thai 


62  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

there  are  disadvantages,  and  possibly  even  perils,  con- 
nected with  my  scheme ;  but  the  work  of  the  country 
must  be  done.  If  I  had  brothers  or  uncles,  or  near 
male  relatives,  to  assist  me,  I  might  utilize  their  services 
without  risk  of  offending  my  people ;  but,  you  see,  I 
have  no  one  of  the  kind,  and  so  I  have  chosen  to  avail 
myself  of  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff,  who  is  a  young  officer 
of  the  very  highest  character  and  merit,  and  of  whose 
complete  devotion  I  am  well  assured.' 

'  But  why  have  you  not  thought  of  utilizing  me  ?' 
demanded  the  Princess.  '  Surely  I  could  do  a  great 
deal.' 

'  I  do  not  think,'  replied  the  Emperor,  '  that  a  woman 
ought  to  be  called  upon  for  public  work  of  this  kind.  A 
Princess  of  Rutland  has  duties  which  are  connected  with 
society,  with  charity,  with  the  arts,  with  female  educa- 
tion, and  so  on  ;  and  these  are  sufficient  for  her  strength. 
Is  it  not  a  fact,  Nan,  that  you,  too,  have  already  quite 
enough  to  do  ?' 

'Oh,  I  am  not  idle!'  laughed  the  Princess.  'But 
really,  Carl,  I  am  in  grave  doubt  as  to  whether  you  are 
acting  wisely.  I  wish  most  heartily  that  you  had  not 
taken  this  step.  Of  course,  you  have  informed  Count 
Stark  ?' 

'  Yes,  I  told  him  two  days  ago ;  and  it  would  be  folly 
to  conceal  that  he  is  almost  as  much  opposed  to  the  plan 
as  you  seem  to  be.  Yet  it  is  my  conviction  that  it  is 
the  only  plan  which  will  permit  me  to  be  hi  the  highest 
degree  useful  to  my  country.  I  need  scarcely  say  that 
it  is  not  my  intention  that  the  secret  shall  be  confided 


THE  NE  W  A IDE-DE-  CA  MP  63 

to  another  living  soul.  You,  Stark,  the  Baron,  and 
myself  are,  and  must  remain,  the  sole  depositaries.' 

'  That,  of  course,  is  for  the  present  necessary,  if  you 
are  determined  to  persist,  though  Griselda  must  also  be 
told  when  you  are  married.' 

'  Certainly ;  that  was  understood.' 

The  Princess  Nannette  was  silent  for  a  minute,  and 
when  she  walked  round  the  table  and  kissed  her  brother 
she  only  said : 

'  I  think,  Carl,  that  you  are  the  most  headstrong  boy 
in  the  whole  world.  Heaven  grant  that  this  step  may 
not  cause  all  of  us  trouble !' 

'Never  fear,'  said  the  Emperor  cheerily.  'It  is  all 
for  the  best,  little  one.' 

The  Princess  looked  at  him  strangely. 

'  When  did  you  call  me  that  before  ?'  she  asked. 
'  Only  once,  I  know,  because  I  remember  how  tender 
your  voice  seemed,  and  how  much  I  liked  the  words.' 

'  Was  it  when  you  wouldn't  surrender  that  red  pocket- 
book  of  mine?'  suggested  the  Emperor,  who  did  not 
altogether  forgive  himself  for  what  had  occurred  on  that 
occasion. 

'  Oh  yes  !  of  course.  And  now,  Carl,  you  must  intro- 
duce this  Von  Dalhoff  to  me,  since  I  am  in  the  secret. 
It  won't  do  for  me  also  to  be  mistaking  him  for  you.' 

'We'll  have  him  in,  then,'  assented  the  Emperor,  as 
he  rang  a  bell ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Baron,  having 
been  sent  for,  entered. 

'  My  dear  Von  Dalhoff,  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  my 
sister,    the  Princess  Nannette,'  said  his  Majesty.     '  My 


64  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

sister  is  in  the  secret  of  our  future  arrangements ;  and 
as  these  will  necessarily  bring  you  sometimes  into 
contact  with  her,  it  is  well  that  you  should  make  her 
acquaintance.' 

The  Baron  bowed  and  turned  scarlet ;  but  happily  the 
Princess  did  not  notice  his  confusion. 

*  The  Emperor  and  I,'  she  said,  '  were  talking  about 
these  absurd  newspaper  reports.  It  appears  that  you 
were  mistaken  last  night  for  his  Majesty.' 

'  I  seem  to  have  had  the  honour,'  ventured  the  poor 
captain ;  '  but,  seeing  my  present  untidy  condition — in 
which,  nevertheless,  his  Majesty  orders  me  to  enter 
3'our  Eoyal  Highness's  presence — it  is,  I  think,  some- 
what astonishing.' 

'  There  is  a  resemblance,  certainly,'  said  the  Princess, 
frankly  regarding  the  unhappy  Baron,  '  and  a  very 
striking  one.  Yet,  though  it  may  deceive  persons  who 
only  occasionally  catch  sight  of  the  Emperor,  I  think 
that  it  would  never  for  an  instant  deceive  me.' 

The  Emperor  laughed  aloud. 

'  Don't  be  too  sure,  Nan,'  he  exclaimed. 

'  Oh,  I  can  see  all  kinds  of  little  differences !'  she 
declared. 

'  But  recollect  how  differently  dressed  we  are,'  said 
the  Emperor,  '  and  how  much  change  the  Baron's  un- 
shaven chin  must  make  in  his  appearance.  Will  you 
recognise  me,  I  wonder,  when  I  appear  as  the  Baron  von 
Dalhoff;  for  that,  too,  is  part  of  our  plan.  You  see,  as 
the  Herr  Baron  I  shall  be  able  to  get  leisure  and  relaxa- 
tion which,  as  myself,  I  should  never  be  able  to  hope 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  65 

for  ;  so,  when  Herr  von  Dalhoff  has  once  grown  his  beard, 
he  will  shave  it  off,  and  he  and  I  will,  so  to  speak,  divide 
it  thenceforth  between  us.  When  he  is  himself,  he  will 
wear  a  beard  similar  to  his  natural  one,  but  false ;  when 
I  am  he,  I  shall  wear  a  false  beard  similar  to  his  natural 
one ;  and  then  I  really  think,  Nan,  that  we  shall  be 
practically  indistinguishable  by  ordinary  people,  if  not 
by  you.  But,'  he  added  laughingly,  '  in  case  of  serious 
doubt,  a  court  of  final  appeal  is  provided.  We  have  our 
proper  names  tattooed  on  our  left  shoulders ;  so  there  is 
no  danger  of  our  being  really  mixed  up.' 

The  more  the  Princess  heard  of  the  scheme,  the  more 
she  distrusted  it ;  but,  as  she  would  not  allow  this  to 
appear  too  plainly  to  Von  Dalhoff,  she  contented  herself 
with  saying : 

'  Well,  I  sincerely  hope,  Herr  Baron,  that  the  project 
will  turn  out  well.  You  have  a  difficult  and  responsible 
task  before  you.' 

When  he  had  withdrawn,  she  asked  her  brother : 

'Don't  you  think,  Carl,  that  his  slightly  nervous 
manner  may  betray  him  ?' 

'  I  don't  think  so,'  returned  the  Emperor ;  '  for  I  never 
saw  him  in  the  least  degree  nervous  before.  That  must 
be  owing  to  the  beard,  or  to  you,  or  to  both  combined. 
He  will  do  well  enough,  I  believe.  At  least,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  I  could  not,  for  this  purpose,  have  stumbled 
upon  a  more  trustworthy  and  capable  helper ;  and  I  feel 
confident,  my  dear  Nan,  that  he  will  not  falsify  my  high 
opinion  of  him.' 

From  that  day  the  Princess  cultivated  Von  Dalhoffs 

5 


66  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

acquaintance.  Her  anxiety  as  to  the  wisdom  of  her 
brother's  plans,  and  her  great  affection  for  him,  prompted 
her  to  endeavour,  if  only  as  a  protective  measure,  to 
secure  the  friendship  and  personal  devotion  of  a  man 
who,  she  felt,  was  about  to  have  entrusted  to  him 
immense  possibilities  of  good  and  evil.  It  did  not  occur 
to  her  that  Yon  Dalhoff  would  ever  think  of  abusing  his 
position,  for  she  was  familiar  with  the  traditional  loyalty 
of  Lusatian  officers ;  but  it  did  occur  to  her  that  circum- 
stances might  arise  that  would  require  all  Yon  Dalhoff  s 
loyalty,  as  well  as  all  his  ability,  to  successfully  cope 
with  them,  and  she  justly  realized  that  it  could  not  but 
strengthen  him,  and  tighten  his  attachment  to  the 
Imperial  family  and  its  interests,  if  she  granted  him 
as  much  as  possible  of  her  confidence.  It  therefore 
delighted  her  to  find  that  Yon  Dalhoff  liked  her  society. 

And,  indeed,  what  man  would  not  have  liked  it,  even 
if  he  had  not  been,  as  the  Baron  was,  incurably  in  love 
with  the  Pearl  of  Paihland?  She  sought  Yon  Dalhoff 
only  for  her  brother's  sake ;  Von  Dalhoff  sought  her 
only  for  her  own.  He,  who  would  have  been  happy 
enough  to  be  permitted  to  stand  on  guard  by  night  and 
by  day  outside  her  apartments ;  he,  who  would  have  been 
glad  to  let  her  walk  upon  his  prostrate  body ;  he,  who 
would  have  deemed  himself  honoured  by  an  occasional 
sight  of  her,  or  by  an  occasional  recognition  bj'  her  of 
his  existence,  was  admitted  daily  to  almost  an  equal's 
intimacy  with  the  woman  whom  he  worshipped.  It 
mattered  little  to  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to  treat  her, 
and  that  he  always  did  treat  her,  not  as  a  girl,  but  as 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  67 

a  Pioyal  Princess ;  in  his  heart  she  was  none  the  less  his 
'  little  one.'  And  thus  she  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in 
securing  over  him  an  even  greater  influence  than  she 
had  hoped  for.  Yet  never  for  an  instant  did  she  suspect 
the  reason.  She  imagined  that  his  devotion  to  her 
depended  chiefly,  if  not  solely,  upon  the  fact  that  she 
was  the  Emperor's  sister.  He  knew  that  every  day  his 
devotion  to  the  Emperor  was  becoming  deepened  by 
the  consideration  that  the  Emperor  was  the  Princess's 
brother. 

The  six  weeks  passed  for  him,  therefore,  too  quickly. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  period  the  commencement  of 
his  new  duties  led  to  his  being  frequently  absent  from 
the  Palace,  and  to  his  seeing  less  than  before  of  the 
Princess. 

His  principal  work  was  the  making  of  sudden  appear- 
ances, and  the  doing  of  other  unexpected  things  which 
involved  little  or  no  speaking  on  his  part,  and  no  formal 
assertion  of  his  supposed  individuality ;  but  even  in  these 
modest  functions  he  encountered  from  time  to  time  a  few 
mishaps.  Both  the  Emperor  and  the  Princess  schooled 
him  to  the  best  of  their  abilities,  but  they  could  not 
remember  and  foresee  everything;  and  occasionally  it 
happened  that  Von  Dalhoff  failed  to  know  the  name  of, 
or  even  to  recognise,  some  high  official  who,  in  his  own 
mind,  had  long  cherished  the  conviction  that  the  Emperor 
regarded  him  with  peculiar  favour.  Such  occurrences 
as  these  were  very  awkward  and  confusing,  and  they 
led,  no  doubt,  to  many  petty  jealousies  and  heart- 
burnings;  but  Von  Dalhoff  was  diplomatic  enough  to 


68  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

always  seize  an  early  opportunity  of  setting  things  as 
right  as  possible  again  with  a  gracious  glance  or  a  tactful 
word,  and  very  little  permanent  harm  was  eventually 
done.  In  a  short  time,  moreover,  he  began  to  be  familiar 
with  the  faces,  names,  and  titles  of  most  of  those  whom 
it  fell  to  his  province  to  meet ;  and  thus,  although,  at 
first,  rumours  got  abroad  to  the  effect  that  the  Emperor's 
memory  was  failing,  these  soon  passed  off,  and  gave  way 
to  wonderful  stories  of  the  Emperor's  insatiable  activity, 
his  almost  inexplicable  ubiquity,  and  his  unparalleled 
devotion  to  even  the  smallest  interests  of  the  great 
country  over  which  he  reigned. 

There  were  other  mishaps,  of  course,  but  nearly  all 
really  important  ones  were  obviated  owing  to  the  simple 
and  admirable  arrangements  which  were  made  by  the 
Emperor.  His  private  apartments,  consisting  of  bed 
and  dressing-rooms,  study  and  smoking-room,  occupied 
one  side  of  a  long  corridor,  upon  the  other  side  of  which 
were  two  rooms  belonging  to  Yon  Dalhoff.  At  the  end  of 
the  corridor  was  a  passage-room  through  which  the  two 
suites  communicated,  and  of  which  the  door  leading  into 
the  corridor  had  been  built  up.  It  was  the  Emperor's 
rule  that  in  all  cases  the  assumption  of  a  new  identity 
should  take  place  in  that  passage-room  when  both  parties 
were  present.  This  rule  rendered  it  impossible  for  there 
ever  to  be  two  Emperors  or  two  Yon  Dalhoffs  abroad  at 
the  same  time.  Coming  in  in  his  proper  character,  and 
desiring  to  change  his  identity,  the  Emperor  would  enter 
his  own  apartments,  and,  by  means  of  an  electric  bell, 
summon  the  Baron.     The  two  would  then  go  into  the 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  69 

passage-room,  where  the  Emperor  would  change  his 
coat  and  assume  a  beard,  while  Von  Dalhoff  would 
change  his  coat  and  lay  his  beard  aside.  If,  as  Von 
Dalhoff,  the  Emperor  came  in,  he  would  enter  Von 
Dalhoff' s  apartments,  and  go  thence  to  the  passage-room, 
which,  it  is  almost  needless  to  add,  was  kept  locked,  and 
of  which  keys  were  in  the  possession  only  of  the  Emperor 
and  of  the  Baron.  In  this  room  was  an  automatic 
printing  telegraph -instrument,  through  which,  from  any 
part  of  the  country,  either  the  Emperor  or  the  Baron 
could  wire  to  the  palace  in  case  of  his  being  unavoidably 
detained  by  accident  or  otherwise.  There  was  kept  there 
also  a  large  slate  upon  which  each,  before  going  out, 
made  a  point  of  writing  down  his  probable  whereabouts 
during  the  interval  between  his  departure  and  his 
intended  return.  And  there  was  another  slate  upon 
which,  when  Von  Dalhoff  was  not  at  hand,  the  Emperor 
set  down  any  orders  which  he  might  desire  the  other  to 
carry  out.  The  passage-room,  or  telegraph-room,  as  it 
was  called,  of  course  required  occasional  cleaning  and 
turning  upside  down  ;  but  when  this  was  necessary,  any- 
thing that  might  cause  suspicion  was  removed  from  it 
by  Von  Dalhoff  to  his  own  rooms  ;  the  door  on  that  side 
was  locked,  and  the  servants  entered  through  the 
Emperor's  apartments,  and,  by  the  management  of  the 
Princess,  began  their  work  at  a  convenient  moment,  and 
speedily  finished  it. 

So  wonderfully  perfect  were  all  the  arrangements 
that  it  would  have  been  quite  possible  for  t^e  Emperor, 
sitting   in  hi3  smokmg-room  (which   was   next   to   the 


70  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

telegraph-room),  say  with  some  private  friend,  to  go 
for  an  instant  into  the  telegraph-room  and  to  send  out 
Von  Dalhoff  to  take  his  place  and  continue  the  conversa- 
tion without  exciting  hi  the  mind  of  the  friend  the 
slightest  suspicion  of  the  change.  That,  of  course, 
could  not  have  been  safely  done  at  first,  and  would  at  all 
times  have  been  dependent  upon  Von  Dalhoff  s  being 
ready  within  hearing ;  but,  presupposing  so  much,  it 
could  have  been  easily  done  after  the  system  had  settled 
down  into  working  order.  So  far,  indeed,  as  ordinary 
eyes  and  ears  could  have  detected,  there  was  absolutely 
no  difference  between  the  true  Emperor  and  his  sub- 
stitute. The  Princess  Nannette  alone  could  distinguish 
them  at  a  glance,  but  this  was  only  because  she  had 
discovered  for  herself  that  on  his  right  cheek  the  Baron 
had  an  almost  imperceptible  mole,  while  the  Emperor 
had  nothing  of  the  kind. 

By  Midsummer  Day  the  new  scheme,  in  smooth 
working  order,  was  answering  admirably.  It  gave  the 
Emperor  time  for  study  and  reasonable  amusement ;  it 
delighted  Von  Dalhoff,  if  only  because  it  allowed  him  to 
be  near  the  Princess  ;  and  it  pleased  the  people,  for, 
although  Von  Dalhoff  never  appeared  when  the  Em- 
peror's presence  had  been  specifically  promised,  and 
although  he  never,  at  any  of  his  public  appearances,  said 
a  word  which  only  the  Emperor  could  have  rightfully 
uttered,  everyone  mistook  him  for  the  Emperor.  He 
stood  at  the  well-known  window  of  the  palace  when  the 
guard  was  changed  and  received  the  cheers  of  the  multi- 
tude, while  the  Emperor  was  in  his    library ;    and  he 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  71 

drove  or  rode  in  the  park  and  returned  the  salutes  of 
the  crowd,  while  the  Emperor  was  playing  billiards 
with  Admiral  Spott ;  so  that  everyone  concerned  was 
satisfied. 

Thus  the  summer  passed,  September  came,  and,  as 
the  time  of  the  combined  manoeuvres  drew  near, 
Hoodlum  was  again  back  in  Europe,  and  was  often  at 
the  Palace,  always  full  of  the  Bolter  gun,  and  of  the 
wonderfully-armed  ship  that  was  presently  to  be  sent 
over  by  the  Bolter  Gun  Company  to  astonish  the  world 
in  general  and  the  Emperor  in  particular.  Hoodlum 
brought  with  him  a  programme  which  had  been  drawn 
up  by  Snaggs  for  submission  to  the  Emperor's  approval. 
This  specified  that  the  vessel  would  arrive  off  the 
Lusatian  port  of  Friedenhaven  at  the  time  when,  on 
account  of  the  manoeuvres,  his  Majesty  would  be  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  ;  and  that  if  by  October  8  the 
Emperor  would  order  targets  to  be  laid  out  at  sea  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  port,  and  would  then,  or  on  the  following 
day,  be  so  gracious  as  to  proceed  on  board  the  steamship 
Philistia,  which  had  been  specially  engaged  for  the  pur- 
pose by  the  company,  he  would  have  full  opportunity  of 
witnessing  a  complete  demonstration  of  the  extra- 
ordinary powers  of  the  new  invention,  concerning  which 
Mr.  Hoodlum  was  already  in  a  position  to  give  general 
information. 

The  Emperor  agreed  to  the  proposals,  and  named 
October  9  as  the  day  on  which  it  would  be  convenient  to 
him  to  watch  the  experiments.  Hoodlum,  therefore, 
cabled  to  this  effect  to  the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs,  who, 


72  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

in  his  turn,  made  his  plans  and  preparations  accord- 
ingly. 

The  Company  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  secure 
the  Philistia  for  its  project,  for  very  few  other  vessels 
afloat  would  have  served  equally  well.  Built  in  England 
for  the  Cunard  Company,  she  was  one  of  the  fastest  and 
most  powerful  twin-screw  steamers  in  the  world ;  but, 
owing  to  some  miscalculation  in  the  making  of  her 
designs,  she  was  found,  when  built,  to  draw  much  more 
water  than  had  been  intended ;  and,  as  there  is  a  bar  at 
Liverpool  and  another  at  New  York  across  which  vessels 
of  excessive  draught  can  only  pass  at  the  time  of  very 
high  tides,  this  fault  was  held  by  her  owners  to  dis- 
qualify her  for  the  general  Atlantic  passenger  traffic.  As 
soon  as  they  had  discovered  the  error  they  had  caused 
another  ship  to  be  laid  down,  and  had  decided  to  sell  the 
Philistia  upon  terms  as  advantageous  as  possible  ;  but 
bidders  had  not  been  numerous,  and,  consequently,  when 
the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs  and  his  friends  came  forward 
and  offered  £250,000  for  her  as  she  lay  in  her  berth  at 
New  York,  the  Cunard  Company,  though  losing  by  the 
transaction,  determined  to  part  with  the  great  white 
elephant. 

She  was  of  magnificent  proportions  and  most  luxuri- 
ously fitted ;  but,  more  important  than  anything  else 
connected  with  her — her  speed  of  twenty-two  knots  only 
excepted — was  the  fact  that,  when  not  obliged  to  stow 
cargo,  she  would  carry  no  less  than  4,500  tons  of  coal. 
This,  it  was  computed,  was  enough  to  take  her  nearly 
twice  round  the  world  at  the  economical  speed  of  eleven 


THE  NEW  A IDE-DE- CA MP  7 3 

knots,  or  thereabouts ;  and  as,  in  addition,  she  was 
rigged,  though  lightly,  as  a  four-masted  schooner,  she 
was  not  entirely  dependent  even  upon  her  unexampled 
steaming  capacity. 

She  was  in  the  magnificent  order  that  is  characteristic 
of  Cunarders,  and  she  needed  only  coal,  stores,  officers 
and  a  crew.  All  these  were,  without  much  difficult}', 
provided,  and,  with  a  good  margin  of  time  at  her  dis- 
posal, the  Philistia,  a  week  after  Hoodlum's  cablegram 
had  been  received,  took  advantage  of  a  spring  tide  to 
leave  New  York. 

Snaggs  and  about  twenty  of  his  associates  were  on 
board,  and,  for  the  sake  of  appearances,  they  took  with 
them  four  old  guns,  cheaply  fitted  and  disguised  after  the 
fashion  of  the  gun  which  had  been  used  for  Hoodlum's 
deception  at  Cape  Charles.  But  they  did  not  venture  to 
mount  these  while  the  Philistia  was  still  at  New  York, 
and  it  was  generally  imagined  on  shore  that  they  had 
purchased  the  ship  mainly  as  a  speculation,  and  that  they 
intended  to  dispose  of  her  at  a  profit  either  to  one  of  the 
European  mail  steamship  companies,  or  to  some  Govern- 
ment which  would  adapt  her  for  service  as  a  cruiser  or  a 
transport.  Not,  indeed,  until  the  vessel  had  left 
America  did  the  New  York  papers,  which  even  then  had 
only  rumours  of  the  vaguest  kind  to  build  upon, 
announce  that,  though  the  Philistia  had  gone  to  Europe 
to  be  ultimately  sold,  she  had  also  gone  thither  to 
exhibit  before  the  Lusatian  Emperor  some  mysterious 
weapon  of  war,  of  which  great  things  were  expected ;  for 
Snaggs  had  felt  that,  in  view  of   the  rather  bold   act 


74  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

which  he  was  about  to  attempt,  he  did  not  require  uru 
necessary  publicity ;  and  Hoodlum,  in  his  anxiety  to  see 
Lusatia  the  sole  owner  of  the  marvellous  Bolter  gun, 
had  said  nothing  whatever  about  it  and  the  Pldlistia's 
mission,  except  to  the  Emperor. 

The  combined  manoeuvres,  in  which  the  19th  and 
20th  Army  Corps  and  a  squadron  of  the  Lusatian  navy 
were  to  take  part  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Frieden- 
haven,  were  to  be  carried  on  from  the  1st  to  the  9th  of 
October  inclusive.  On  the  last  day  of  September  the 
Emperor  was  to  leave  Sandburg,  and  on  October  10th 
he  was  to  return  thither,  and  there  remain  until  the 
19th,  when  he  was  to  proceed  to  Stormarn  for  his  wedding 
on  the  20th.  Seeing  that  during  the  manoeuvres  the 
various  functions  at  which  the  presence  of  the  imperial 
uniform  would  be  expected  would  be  of*  an  interesting 
as  well  as  of  an  important  character,  the  Emperor  in- 
formed Von  Dalhofi*  that  from  September  30th  until 
October  10th  his  services  could  be  dispensed  with,  and 
that  he  would  be  at  liberty,  should  he  desire  it,  to  leave 
Sandburg  ;  but  that,  punctually  at  noon  on  the  10th,  he 
must  await  his  master  in  the  telegraph-room,  and  that, 
from  that  time  until  the  19th,  his  duties  would,  in  all 
probability,  be  somewhat  more  onerous  than  usual, 
owing  to  the  Emperor's  desire  to  attend  to  and  settle 
a  number  of  private  affairs  previous  to  departing  for 
Stormarn. 

As  the  Princess  Nannette  was  going  to  remain  in 
Sandburg,  Yon  Dalhoff  determined  not  to  avail  himself 
of  his  leave  of  absence,  but  to  remain  there,  too.     Had 


THE  NEW  A IDE-DE- CA MP  7 5 

the  Princess  not  remained,  lie  would  probably  have 
gone,  as  a  private  spectator,  to  the  manoeuvres ;  and,  if 
he  had  done  this,  it  is  tolerably  certain  that  the  recent 
history  of  Lusatia,  and  perhaps  of  Europe,  would  have 
been  very  different  from  what  it  has  been. 

Von  Dalhoff  ventured  to  cherish  no  definite  plans 
whatever  in  connection  with  the  Princess.  He  knew 
that,  according  to  all  the  conventions  of  the  Lusatian 
Court,  she  was  too  far  above  him  for  him  to  dare  to  hope. 
He  found,  when  it  once  occurred  to  him  to  look  up  the 
question,  one  example,  and  one  only,  of  a  princess  allied 
to  the  sovereign  having  married  a  private  individual,  and 
in  that  case  the  princess  was  the  great-aunt  by  marriage, 
and  not  the  sister,  of  an  emperor,  so  that  the  instance 
did  not  appear  to  him  to  be  very  encouraging.  Yet  for 
the  present  he  cfid  not  want  to  make  definite  plans.  He 
was  young ;  the  Princess  was  free,  and  he  daily  had  the 
delight  of  her  society.  He  had,  moreover,  known  her 
only  a  few  months  ;  and,  upon  the  whole,  he  was  content 
to  enjoy  the  meed  of  good  fortune  that  had  already 
fallen  to  him  and  to  wait.  Without  any  risk  he  could, 
for  the  time,  be  near  her,  hear  her  voice,  watch  the  play 
of  her  face,  feast  his  eyes  on  her  as  she  sat  unconscious 
of  his  gaze,  feel  sometimes  the  touch  of  her  hand,  and 
anticipate  her  wishes.  If  he  admitted  further  ambitions, 
he  might  cause  his  castle  to  collapse  around  him.  Even 
she  might  well  resent  his  presumption  if  he  dared  to 
hint  of  an  aspiration  to  a  position  higher  than  the  one 
he  occupied  in  the  Princess's  favour.  As  for  the  Em- 
peror, he  would  naturally  be  furious. 


76  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Such,  briefly,  was  the  state  of  Von  Dalhoff's  feelings 
when  the  Emperor  departed  for  Friedenhaven,  in  the 
ugly  but  comfortable  castle  of  which  his  Majesty  took  up 
his  headquarters. 

In  Lusatia  manoeuvres  mean  very  hard  work  for  all 
concerned,  from  the  Emperor  downwards,  but  especially 
for  the  Emperor,  who  on  these  occasions  generally 
mounts  his  horse  every  morning  at  an  hour  beyond  which 
an  English  menial  servant  would  expect  to  be  allowed  to 
remain  in  bed.  The  actual  work  in  the  field  is  often 
ended  by  a  little  after  noon;  but  later  there  are  State 
visits,  receptions,  gala  dinners,  concerts,  torch  -  light 
serenades,  tattoos,  processions  of  veterans,  fireworks, 
and  much  more,  and  the  official  day  is  regarded  as  a 
blessedly  short  one  if  it  extend  over  no  more  than  seven- 
teen hours  out  of  the  twenty-four.  How  Field-Marshal 
Count  Stark,  who  accompanied  the  Emperor  and  went 
everywhere  and  saw  everything,  managed  to  withstand 
the  effects  of  the  perpetual  motion  and  the  long  hours  is 
inexplicable,  or  explicable  only  upon  the  assumption  that 
a  life's  struggle  against  them  had  resulted  in  relieving 
him  from  all  human  weaknesses ;  for  the  tension  and 
rush  sorely  tried  many  a  younger  man,  and  majors  and 
colonels,  who  had  not  half  as  much  as  he  to  do, 
thanked  Heaven  when  the  hurry  was  over,  whereas 
the  Count,  ruddy  and  cheerful  as  ever,  was  undisguisedly 
sorry. 

But  the  long  days,  though  tiring,  passed  quickly.  On 
October  8  the  operations  culminated  in  a  grand  attack 
by  one  army  corps,  supported  by  the  fleet,  upon   the 


THE  NEW  AIDE-DE-CAMP  77 

other  army  corps,  occupying  intrenched  positions  on  a 
rocky  peninsula  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf.  Towards 
noon  the  defenders  executed  a  well-conceived  counter- 
attack upon  the  left  of  the  rapidly  closing-in  enemy  on 
the  land  side,  and  so  cut  their  way  out,  and  by  three 
o'clock  the  '  cease  fire '  sounded,  and  the  manoeuvres 
proper  were  over. 

In  the  meantime  a  number  of  targets  for  the  Bolter 
gun  experiments  had  been  laid  out  in  the  offing  in 
accordance  with  the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs's  wishes,  and 
that  afternoon  the  Emperor  was  informed  that  the 
Philistia  had  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf,  and  was 
awaiting  his  Majesty's  visit  on  the  morrow. 

Hoodlum,  who  had  been  the  guest  of  the  Emperor 
during  the  whole  of  the  manoeuvres,  about  which  he  had 
not  omitted  to  write  a  long  article  for  Scrarpner's  Maga- 
zine, was  further  invited  to  see  the  Philistia  experiments. 
Herein  he  was  much  favoured,  for  not  many  others 
received  invitations.  Count  Stark,  Admiral  Spott,  and 
not  more  than  half  a  dozen  officers  besides  them,  con- 
stituted, in  fact,  with  the  Emperor  and  Hoodlum,  the 
selected  party  which  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  went 
on  board  the  imperial  yacht  Adler,  off  Friedenhaven, 
and  was  taken  down  the  Gulf,  the  Lusatian  fleet  follow- 
ing in  imposing  order. 

The  Philistia  was  soon  sighted,  but  she  lay  a  long  way 
out.  When  within  a  mile  of  her  the  Emperor  signalled 
for  the  fleet  to  anchor,  and,  anchoring  his  yacht  also,  he 
and  those  with  him  descended  into  the  Adler's  magnificent 
steam-launch,  in  which,  with  the  imperial  ensign  waving 


78  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

gaily  above  his  head,  he  was  conveyed  alongside  the  ex- 
Cunarder. 

Miles  away  to  seaward  the  great  wooden  targets,  formed 
of  huge  baulks  of  timber,  which  had  been  provided  for 
destruction  by  the  Bolter  gun,  stood  up  on  the  horizon. 

'  I  hope  that  your  favourite  weapon  will  come  well  out 
of  the  ordeal,'  said  the  Emperor  to  Hoodlum,  who  sat 
next  to  him  in  the  stern-sheets  of  the  launch  ;  '  but  those 
are  big  targets  to  be  annihilated  by  a  single  pound  of  any 
explosive  whatever.' 

1 1  feel  confident  that  you  will  not  be  disappointed,  sir,' 
replied  Hoodlum. 

'  Well,  we  shall  see.  But  here  we  are.  "What  a  big 
ship  she  is,  to  be  sure  !  She  looks  very  fast,  too.'  And 
the  Emperor,  seizing  the  lines  that  were  held  out  to  him 
by  the  men  at  the  bottom  of  the  Philistia's  gangway 
ladder,  jumped  out  of  the  launch,  and,  followed  by  his 
suite,  mounted  the  steps,  at  the  top  of  which  stood  the 
Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs  and  a  score  of  his  New  York  friends. 

At  the  gangway  the  Emperor  remained  saluting  until 
the  Americans,  feeling  that  they  ought  in  some  way  to 
respond,  took  off  their  hats,  and  crowded  forward  in  a  mob 
to  shake  hands  with  their  imperial  visitor. 

'  Proud  to  meet  you,  Emperor,'  said  Snaggs,  whom 
Hoodlum,  having  squeezed  past,  hastily  and  rather 
shamefacedly  introduced  to  his  Majesty.  '  "What  do 
you  propose  to  do  with  that  boat  of  yours  ?' 

'  Do  with  the  boat  ?'  repeated  the  Emperor  good 
naturedly.  'Why,  the  boat  will  wait  to  take  us  back 
again,  of  course.' 


THE  NE  W  A IDE-DE-  CA  MP  79 

'  But  we  can't  fire  from  here,  Emperor  ;  not  much.  I 
want  to  show  you  how  we  can  knock  sparks  out  of  these 
targets  of  yours  while  we  are  under  steam.' 

'Very  well,'  said  the  Emperor;  'let  the  launch  have 
a  line  passed  to  her,  and  let  her  be  told  to  hang  on 
astern.' 

1  You'd  best  come  along  to  the  saloon  and  take  a 
smile,  Emperor,'  said  Snaggs,  'while  we  are  getting 
under  way.' 

'  I'm  much  obliged,'  said  the  Emperor,  who  felt  that 
he  must  put  his  foot  down ;  '  but  if  "smile"  be  American, 
as  I  believe  it  is,  for  drink,  I  would  rather  not.  I  am 
pressed  for  time,  and  shall  be  glad  to  see  the  experiments 
at  once.' 

'Why,  certainly,  Emperor,'  assented  Snaggs,  as  he 
moved  away,  and  left  the  imperial  party  standing  alone. 


CHAPTEE  V. 


KIDNAPPED. 


The  Philistia's  anchor  was  quickly  weighed,  and  long 
before  it  was  catted  the  great  steamship  was  slowly 
moving  away  from  the  Adler  and  the  Lusatian  fleet,  and 
heading  to  seawards. 

Snaggs's  party  was  all  on  the  bridge ;  the  Emperor's 
was  on  the  promenade-deck  below  it.  The  Americans 
whispered  together  mysteriously ;  the  Lusatians  mar- 
velled in  silence  at  the  cavalier  manner  in  which  the 
Emperor  was  being  treated,  and  at  the  good-humour 
with  which  he  had  borne  with  Snaggs's  familiarities. 
The  Emperor,  with  the  Field-Marshal,  strolled  apart. 

'  Surely,'  said  the  former,  as  he  patted  the  breech  of 
one  of  the  ancient  weapons  with  which  the  vessel  had 
been  fitted,  '  this  cannot  be  the  famous  Bolter  gun  ?' 

'  That  looks,  sire,'  replied  the  Field-Marshal,  '  like  an 
old  American  nine-pounder  field-piece  on  a  naval  carriage 
of  still  older  date  ;  but  I  do  not  understand  the  meaning 
or  object  of  all  this  brass-work,  these  cog-wheels,  and 
these  winches  and  rackets.' 


KIDNAPPED  8 1 

'  Where's  Hoodlum  ?'  asked  the  Emperor.  '  He  has 
seen  the  Bolter  gun,  and  he  can  tell  us.' 

Count  Stark  beckoned  to  Hoodlum,  who,  as  he  ap- 
proached, said  ingenuously : 

'  That's  the  wonderful  gun,  sir.' 

The  Emperor  looked  with  a  curious  expression  at  the 
Field-Marshal,  and  the  Field-Marshal  looked  with  an 
equally  curious  expression  at  the  Emperor,  who,  turning 
to  Hoodlum,  demanded : 

'  But  are  you  not  mistaken  ?  This  is  merely  an  old 
field-gun,  and  not  even  a  rifled  one.  Did  you  not  tell  me 
that  the  Bolter  gun  struck  and  sank  a  boat  at  a  distance 
of  four  miles  and  a  half,  or  thereabouts  ?' 

'  I  saw  it  do  so ;  and  I  believe  that  the  gun  which  I 
saw  fired  is  the  very  one  which  you  are  now  looking  at,' 
returned  Hoodlum,  who  was  a  little  hurt  at  the  idea  that 
his  word  was  doubted. 

'Well,'  said  the  Emperor,  'we  shall  see;  but  if  this 
gun  can  throw  a  projectile  one-third  of  the  distance  it 
will  astonish  me  very  much.  Now,  where  are  we  going, 
I  wonder  ?' 

The  ship  was  nearing  the  line  of  targets,  as  if  to  pass 
through  it,  and  was  rapidly  increasing  speed. 

'  I  confess,  sire,  I  do  not  understand  the  business  at 
all,'  answered  Count  Stark.  '  They  can't  be  intend- 
ing to  fire  from  seaward.  If  they  do  they  will  have  to 
fire  more  or  less  in  the  direction  of  your  Majesty's 
ships.' 

'  Oblige  me,  my  dear  Hoodlum,'  said  the  Emperor,  '  by 
asking   your   friend   Mr.   Snaggs   to   let  me   know  his 

r, 


82  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

programme,  and  not,  on  any  account,  to  fire  towards  the 
fleet.' 

Hoodlum  winced  at  being  thus  associated  with  the 
Colonel,  but  he  walked  to  the  foot  of  the  ladder  leading  to 
the  bridge,  and  waited  there  until  he  caught  Snaggs's  eye. 

'  The  Emperor  would  like  to  know  what  you  are  going 
to  do,'  he  said.  '  He  particularly  desires  that  you  will 
not  think  of  firing  in  the  direction  of  the  fleet.' 

Snaggs  whispered  to  one  of  his  friends,  who  imme- 
diately ran  down  the  ladder. 

*  If  you'll  come  right  along  to  my  cabin,'  said  the  man, 
*  I'll  give  you  the  hull  programme.' 

Hoodlum  followed  his  fellow-countryman  along  the 
deck,  down  some  steps  to  the  upper-deck,  and  thence 
down  more  steps  to  the  main-deck,  where  he  was,  as  he 
thought,  rather  unceremoniously  pushed  into  an  empty 
cabin,  and,  with  the  utterance,  '  I  shan't  be  more  nor  a 
minute,'  was  left  to  himself.  As,  at  the  expiration  of 
about  five  minutes,  the  man  had  not  returned,  Hoodlum 
tried  the  door,  and  found,  to  his  consternation,  that  he 
could  not  open  it. 

In  the  meantime  the  Emperor  became  impatient. 
The  line  of  targets  had  been  passed,  and,  as  Hoodlum 
did  not  reappear,  Admiral  Spott  was  ordered  to  ask 
Snaggs  for  information.  The  Admiral  was  treated 
exactly  as  Hoodlum  had  been  treated,  except  that  he 
was  not  shut  up  in  the  same  cabin ;  and,  ere  he  realized 
that  he  was  a  prisoner,  affairs  on  deck  reached  a  crisis ; 
for  the  Emperor,  finding  himself  beneath  the  bridge, 
and  happening  to  catch  Snaggs's  eye,  asked  : 


KIDNAPPED  83 

*  When  are  we  going  to  begin,  Mr.  Snaggs  ?' 

Instead  of  answering  at  once,  the  Colonel  turned  to 
whisper  hastily  to  some  of  his  friends,  and  then  said 
bluntly : 

'  We  don't  propose  to  begin  at  all,  Emperor.  We 
propose  to  take  you  on  a  little  trip  with  us.  The  Bolter 
gun  is  a  fraud ;  and  we  propose  to  hold  you  and  your 
party  until  you  are  ransomed.  That's  about  the  size 
of  it.' 

The  Emperor's  eyes  blazed,  and  he  put  his  right  hand 
to  the  pommel  of  his  sword,  but  withdrew  it  again,  and 
rejoined  the  Field-Marshal. 

'  Count,'  he  said,  '  we  have  been  deceived.  We  are 
prisoners.' 

The  old  soldier  opened  his  eyes  very  widely  and 
almost  gasped. 

'  Your  Majesty  is  pleased  to  joke  !'  he  exclaimed. 

'  I  do  not  joke,  Count.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  very 
serious.  I  have  just  been  informed  by  this  person  who 
is  called  Snaggs  that  he  and  his  friends  intend  to  keep 
us  until  we  are  ransomed.' 

The  Field-Marshal  made  a  forward  movement,  and 
not  only  seized  his  sword,  but  half  drew  it.  The  clatter 
of  the  blade  as,  at  a  sign  from  the  Emperor,  he  dropped 
it  back  into  the  sheath,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
rest  of  the  Lusatians,  all  of  whom  approached. 

'  Violence  is  of  no  use,'  said  the  Emperor  calmly. 
'  Gentlemen,  we  are  overpowered.  See — each  one  of 
those  men  upon  the  bridge  has  a  revolver  in  his  hand. 
Other  armed  men  are  stationed  aft,  to  prevent  us  from 


84  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

communicating  with  the  launch  which  is  towing  astern, 
If  resistance  were  of  the  slightest  use,  I  should  lead  you. 
As  it  is,  I  will  not  permit  bloodshed.  Gentlemen,  we 
are  prisoners.  By  whom  we  have  been  betrayed  I  know 
not.  I  hope  it  is  not  significant  that  Mr.  Hoodlum's 
absence  is  to  be  remarked.' 

The  Lusatian  officers  looked  at  one  another  as  if 
thunderstruck.  The  daring  of  the  deed  was  at  first 
above  their  comprehension.  The  kidnapping  by  a  band 
of  rough  Americans  of  an  Emperor — of  the  Emperor — 
was  incredible.     What  could  it  all  mean  ? 

Snaggs,  who  had  been  anxiously  watching  the  group 
below  him,  deemed  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  speak. 

'  Well,'  he  shouted  from  the  bridge,  addressing  the 
Lusatians  in  general  and  none  of  them  in  particular, 
'  I  guess  you  have  concluded  to  surrender.  If  you  have, 
you're  mighty  wise,  for  resistance  ain't  no  use,  you  bet. 
Every  man  of  us  is  armed,  and  knows  how  to  shoot,  and 
emperors  and  field-marshals  are  just  as  easy  to  hit  as 
any  other  kind  of  human  bein's.  But  we  don't  want  to 
make  trouble.  Here  you  are,  and  here  we  propose  that 
you  shall  remain  until  you  are  ransomed.  The  figure  is 
a  big  one,  naturally.  We  intend  to  have  twenty-five 
million  dollars,  or,  if  you  like,  five  million  pounds,  or  a 
hundred  million  marks,  or  a  hundred  and  twenty-five 
million  francs — in  gold,  mind  you, — for  what  we  have 
caught — no  more  and  no  less.  The  price  covers  the 
hull  party.  In  the  meantime,  there  won't  be  no  cause 
for  complaint.  You'll  all  be  well  treated,  and  if  you  don't 
enjoy  a  pleasant  trip  in  the  Philistia,  why,  it  won't  be 


KIDNAPPED  85 

the  fault  of  me  and  my  friends.  You  can  talk  it  over  a 
bit,  and  see  what  you  think  of  it.  "When  you've  made 
up  your  minds  to  be  reasonable,  I'll  be  pleased  to  tell 
you  where  and  how  the  ransom  is  to  be  paid.  This 
afternoon  I  propose  to  send  that  steam  launch  ashore 
with  someone  to  negotiate ;  and,  as  we  don't  wish  to 
cause  unnecessary  inconveniences,  why,  any  of  you 
gentlemen  may  send  what  letters  you  please  to  your 
friends.' 

Having  listened,  with  repressed  indignation,  to  this 
harangue,  the  Emperor,  without  deigning  to  reply, 
drew  Count  Stark  aside. 

'  Count,  this  is  serious,'  he  said.  '  They  mean  what 
they  say,  and  4hey  have  the  power  to  perform  it.  Even 
if  we  could  signal  to  the  ships,  they  could  not  catch  us, 
for  this  steamer  is  three  or  four  knots  faster  than  any 
of  them.  "We  must  submit.  Go  to  them,  I  beg  you, 
and  tell  them  that,  while  I  completely  reserve  to  myself 
my  freedom  of  action  and  decline  absolutely  to  give  any 
undertaking  whatever,  I  realize  that  we  are  all  for  the 
present  in  their  power.  Say  that  I  desire  to  know  the 
conditions  of  ransom,  and  that  I  wish  to  send  letters 
ashore  as  soon  as  possible.  And,  my  dear  Count,  for- 
give me  for  having  unwittingly  led  you  into  this 
unfortunate  business.  I  regret  it,  I  assure  you,  as 
much  for  your  sake  as  for  mine.' 

'Your  Majesty  need  not  say  that,'  returned  the  Field- 
Marshal,  in  whose  eyes  tears  trembled.  '  I  know  your 
Majesty's  great  kindness  of  heart.  But  the  misfortune 
is  all  yours ;  and  it  is  my  good  fortune  to  be  where  I 


86  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

most  desire  to  be,  at  your  Majesty's  side.  I  trust  that 
I  may  be  able  to  retain  my  temper  when  I  speak  to  the 
authors  of  this  unheard-of  outrage.' 

1  If  you  doubt  yourself,  my  dear  Count,'  said  the 
Emperor,  '  I  will  myself  speak  to  them.' 

'  Your  Majesty's  dignity  has  been  already  sufficiently 
insulted,'  said  the  old  man,  as  he  turned  and  went  to 
the  foot  of  the  bridge-ladder. 

Snaggs,  carrying  a  revolver  in  his  left  hand,  descended 
to  meet  him. 

'  Well,'  he  asked,  '  they  have  concluded  to  surrender, 
General,  I  guess  ?' 

'  I  have  the  honour  to  be  Field-Marshal  Leonhard, 
Count  Stark,  in  the  service  of  his  Imperial  Majesty,' 
said  the  gallant  old  soldier,  '  and  I  am  commanded  to 
see  the  leader  of  these — these  pirates.' 

'  Call  us  what  }7ou  please,  Field-Marshal,'  said  Snaggs 
airily.  '  I  am  the  boss,  or,  if  you  like  it  better,  the 
leader;  and  my  name  is  Snaggs,  Colonel  Barnwell 
Snaggs.' 

The  Field-Marshal  bowed,  ignorant,  of  course,  that 
Snaggs's  colonelcy  was  a  fable. 

'  His  Majesty,'  he  said,  '  reserves  his  complete  free- 
dom of  action,  and  declines  to  give  any  undertaking, 
but,  realizing  that  he  and  his  suite  are,  for  the  present, 
in  your  power,  wishes  to  be  informed  as  to  the  terms  of 
the  ransom,  and  desires  to  send  letters  on  shore  as  soon 
as  possible.' 

Snaggs  pulled  out  a  cigar,  and  bit  off  the  end  of  it. 

'  Well,'  he    said,    '  as    for    freedom    of    action,    the 


KIDNAPPED  87 

Emperor  and  you  gentlemen  will  have  the  run  of  the 
ship.  You  can't  want  more.  There  are  nice  cabins 
ready  for  you,  and  there  are  a  French  cook  and  a  London 
tailor  on  board.' 

'But  the  Emperor  will  not  promise  not  to  escape,' 
said  the  Count. 

'  I  guess  we'll  promise  that  for  him.' 

1  Nor  does  his  Majesty  undertake  to  surrender  his  full 
right,  by  force  or  otherwise,  to  seize  the  ship,  and  to 
hand  over  you  and  your  accomplices  to  justice,5  added 
the  old  soldier. 

1  Don't  he  ?  Well,  he'd  best  give  up  any  idea  of  that 
sort  at  once.  We  don't  want  to  be  hard  on  him,  or  you ; 
but  unless  all  you  gentlemen  give  your  word  that  you 
won't  cause  trouble,  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  give  up 
your  swords,'  declared  the  Hon.  Barnwell. 

I  Sir !'  ejaculated  the  Field-Marshal  icily. 

'I  don't  care  which  way  it  is,'  said  Snaggs;  'but  I 
must  have  your  promises  or  your  swords.' 

I I  will  report  to  his  Majesty  what  you  say.  You  will, 
perhaps,  tell  me  where  the  ransom  of  one  hundred 
millions  of  marks,  if  ever  it  be  paid,  is  to  be  placed  in 
your  hands  ?' 

Snaggs  drew  a  folded  paper  from  his  pocket  and 
handed  it  to  the  Field-Marshal. 

'  This  tells  you  all  about  that ;  and  I  guess,  for  the 
sake  of  all  parties,  it's  best  to  have  it  quite  clear  and 
straightforward,  so  I've  had  it  printed.  There  are  full 
directions,  with  a  chart  of  the  place ;  and  you  can  have 
as  many  copies  as  you   like   to   send   ashore    to  your 


88  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Government.  The  boat  will  leave  the  ship  at  three 
o'clock  this  afternoon.  It  will  take  for  you  what  letters 
you  please.  I  don't  want  to  interfere  with  private 
affairs.  Write  to  your  wives  and  sweethearts  just  as  you 
feel  like  writin'.  I  shan't  ask  to  see.  Only  you  had 
best  remember  that  you  may  not  have  another  chance 
for  months.' 

'  One  thing  more,'  demanded  the  Field-Marshal. 
1  Where  are  Admiral  Spott  and  Mr.  Hoodlum  ?' 

'  I  guess  they're  locked  up,'  replied  Snaggs ;  '  but 
they're  none  the  worse,  and  if  we  come  to  a  reasonable 
arrangement  'bout  the  swords,  I'll  have  the  gentlemen 
let  out  right  away.' 

The  Count  turned  on  his  heel  and  rejoined  the 
Emperor. 

'  They  want  our  swords,  your  Majesty,  or  a  promise 
that  we  will  not  endeavour  to  seize  the  ship.' 

'We  will  give  neither,'  said  the  Emperor.  '  To  give 
the  swords  would  be  in  some  sort  to  recognise  in  these 
scoundrels  our  legitimate  and  honourable  vanquishers  ; 
to  give  our  promise  would  be  to  hamper  our  freedom 
of  action.  That  we  must  preserve  to  the  full.  Let  the 
officers  give  me  their  swords.  In  that  they  will  ex- 
perience no  humiliation.  I  will,  if  necessary,  throw 
them  overboard.     And  as  to  the  ransom  ?' 

'  The  particulars  are  here,  sire,'  replied  the  Count,  as 
he  gave  the  paper  to  the  Emperor. 

<  And  letters  ?' 

'  The  boat  is  to  go  with  them  at  three  o'clock,  and 
they  are  not  to  be  examined.' 


KIDNAPPED  89 

'  Thank  heaven  for  that !'  ejaculated  the  Emperor. 

'  And  I  should  add,  sire,'  said  the  Count,  '  that  upon 
the  settlement  of  the  question  of  the  swords,  Admiral 
Spott  and  Mr.  Hoodlum,  who  are  confined  below,  will 
be  liberated.' 

'  Ah  !  then  the  sooner  the  swords  go  overboard,  the 
better.  As  for  Mr.  Hoodlum,  have  you  heard  anything  ? 
Is  he,  too,  the  victim  of  our  captors,  or  is  he  their 
confederate  ?' 

'I  have  heard  nothing,  sire,'  replied  the  Field- 
Marshal. 

The  Emperor  mused  for  a  moment. 

'Well,'  he  said  at  last,  'there  is  much  to  be  done 
between  this  and  three  o'clock ;  I  will  therefore  receive 
the  swords  of  my  officers  at  once,  and  then  go  below  to 
write.' 

'  Gentlemen,'  cried  the  Count  to  the  Lusatians,  '  his 
Majesty  asks  for  your  swords.  In  order  of  your  seniority 
you  will  deliver  them  to  him ;'  and,  setting  the  example, 
he  took  off  his  own  sword,  and  with  a  profound  bow 
presented  it. 

The  Emperor  accepted  it  without  a  word,  and,  having 
laid  it  on  a  seat  beside  him,  similarly  received  the 
swords  of  the  rest  of  the  suite.  Then,  unbuckling  the 
sword  which  he  himself  wore,  he  placed  it  on  the  top  of 
the  heap,  and,  tying  the  weapons  together  by  means  of 
their  knots  and  cords,  flung  the  whole  into  the  sea. 

'  That's  a  pity,  now,  Emperor,'  sang  out  Snaggs  from 
the  bridge.  '  But  take  it  your  own  way.  It  don't 
matter  a  cent  to  us  whether  you  give  them  up  or  throw 


90  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

them  overboard.  I'll  have  your  friends  sent  on  deck 
sharp.' 

The  Emperor  indignantly  turned  his  back. 

'  Let  us  go  below,  Count,'  he  said ;  '  time  presses. 
Gentlemen,  write  what  letters  you  will.  I  am  informed 
that  the  boat  will  take  them  ashore  at  three  o'clock.  And 
let  the  release  of  Admiral  Spott  and  Mr.  Hoodlum  be 
reported  to  me.' 

Seeing  the  Emperor  and  the  Count  about  to  leave  the 
deck,  Snaggs  sent  after  them  a  man  who,  in  a  perfectly 
inoffensive  way,  offered  to  conduct  them  to  the  cabins 
which  had  been  prepared  for  them.  These  proved  to  be 
very  spacious  and  well-furnished.  To  the  Emperor  was 
assigned  the  music-room,  which  had  been  partitioned  off 
so  as  to  form  two  cabins,  and  which,  being  on  the  upper 
deck,  was  airy  and  unconfined.  For  the  Field-Marshal 
was  set  apart  a  cabin,  very  much  smaller,  of  course,  yet 
of  good  size,  which  had  been  built  as  a  family  cabin, 
and  which  adjoined  the  music-room.  On  a  table  in  the 
Emperor's  outer  cabin  were  two  or  three  boxes  of  good 
cigars,  a  spirit-stand,  a  stand  containing  a  number  of 
bottles  of  mineral  water  and  glasses,  a  large  pile  of  new 
books,  and  all  the  latest  American  magazines.  Another 
table,  fitted  as  a  writing-table,  stood  below  a  large 
scuttle,  which  admitted  plenty  of  light.  On  the  walls 
were  hung  good  pictures  and  several  maps.  In  a 
capacious  book-case  were  all  the  usual  current  works  of 
reference,  and  everywhere  it  was  apparent  that  neither 
pains  nor  expense  had  been  spared  to  render  the  place 
comfortable.     The  forethought  of  the  captors  was  still 


KIDNAPPED  91 

more  noticeable  in  the  inner  or  sleeping  cabin,  where 
the  Emperor  discovered  an  American-Lusatian  servant 
hard  at  work  packing  away  in  various  drawers  an 
immense  quantity  of  new  linen,  gloves,  ties,  and  other 
things,  which  had  been  specially  brought  for  the 
Emperor's  use.  The  poor  servant,  who  before  his 
migration  to  New  York  had  served  his  time  in  the 
Lusatian  army,  and  who,  when  engaged  for  the  voyage, 
had  been  kept  in  ignorance  concerning  the  person  upon 
whom  he  was  to  attend,  had  heard  only  half  an  hour 
previously  that  he  was  to  be  the  Emperor's  valet,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  that  the  Emperor  was  a  prisoner  on 
board,  and  when  the  Emperor  suddenly  came  upon  him 
was  in  the  most  painful  state  of  perturbation.  He 
remembered,  however,  to  draw  himself  up  and  to  salute, 
and  the  military  precision  of  his  action  striking  the 
Emperor,  caused  the  latter  to  ask : 

'  You  were  in  the  army  ?' 

The  words  were  too  much  for  the  terrified  fellow,  who, 
falling  on  one  knee,  burst  into  tears. 

'  Majesty,  I  am  not  one  of  them  !  Majesty,  I  have  no 
hand  in  this  wickedness !  Majesty,  I  am  only  a  poor 
servant !'  he  exclaimed. 

The  Emperor,  of  course,  recognised  at  once  that  the 
man  was  a  Lusatian. 

'  If  you  have  done  nothing  shameful  or  dishonourable,' 
he  said,  '  rise.  Your  present  masters  are  not  the  men 
whom  a  good  Lusatian  would  choose  to  serve ;  but  that 
you  are  in  no  way  to  blame  for  their  crimes  is  only  what 
I  suspect.     If  you  are  to  be  my  servant,  so  much  the 


92  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

better ;  have  no  fear.     But  do  not  cry  like  a  girl ;  I  wish 
to  write.' 

The  man  hurried  into  the  outer  cabin,  prepared  pens, 
ink,  and  paper,  and,  when  the  Field-Marshal  entered, 
saluted  him  as  smartly  as  he  had  saluted  the  Emperor, 
who,  in  the  meantime,  had  opened  the  printed  paper 
which  had  been  given  to  him,  and  had  read  it.  What 
his  Majesty  read  was  as  follows  : 

'  Terms  for  the  Ransom  of  His  Imperial  and  Royal 
Majesty  the  Lusatian  Emperor.'' 

*  The  Emperor  and  suite,  being  on  board  the  steam- 
ship Philistia,  are  detained  there  pending  compliance  by 
the  Lusatian  Government  or  by  others  with  the  conditions 
hereinafter  laid  down. 

'  The  sum  fixed  by  way  of  ransom  for  the  party  is 
$25,000,000  in  United  States  gold  currency ;  but  as 
regards  the  whole  or  any  part  of  this,  foreign  gold 
coinage  at  the  rate  of  £1  English,  20  marks  Lusatian, 
25  francs  French  or  Belgian,  25  lire  Italian,  24  guilders 
Dutch,  or  21  h  florins  Austrian,  will  be  deemed  equivalent 
to  $5,  and  will  be  received  accordingly. 

'As  the  entire  weight  of  gold  demanded  by  way  of 
ransom  aggregates  nearly  forty  tons,  it  is  required  that 
the  gold  coins  of  whatever  denomination  be  packed  in 
strong  boxes,  each  containing  $125,000,  or  their  equi" 
valents,  as  per  the  scale  above  quoted.  There  will  thus  be 
two  hundred  such  boxes,  each  weighing,  exclusive  of  the 
package,  rather  more  than  four   hundredweight.     The 


KIDNAPPED  93 

boxes  must  be  iron-bound  and  substantial,  and  furnished 
with  iron  handles. 

'  The  treasure  thus  packed  must  be  conveyed  at  the 
charge  of  the  Lusatian  Government,  and  at  as  early 
a  date  as  possible,  to  the  Island  of  Sala-y-Gomez 
(lat.  26°  27'  46"  S.,  long.  105°  50'  1"  W.)5  in  the  South 
Pacific,  and  there  deposited  in  a  hollow,  which  will  be 
found  at  a  distance  of  about  fifty  yards  to  the  north-west 
of  the  highest  point,  and  which  cannot  be  mistaken. 

'  The  treasure  must  then  be  left  unwatched  and  un- 
guarded, until  such  time  as  those  entitled  to  receive  it 
may  visit  the  island. 

'  It  is  pointed  out  that  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  the 
treasure  being  removed  from  the  island  by  unauthorized 
persons,  great  secrecy  should  be  observed  as  to  the  place 
of  its  deposit.  As  Sala-y-Gomez  is  out  of  the  usual 
track  of  ships,  and  as  it  is  uninhabited  and  barren,  there 
is  little  danger,  if  these  precautions  be  taken,  of  the 
treasure  passing  into  the  hands  of  others  than  those  for 
whom  it  is  designed. 

'  It  is  also  pointed  out  that  the  presence  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Sala-y-Gomez  of  any  vessels  may  have  the 
effect  of  delaying  the  embarkation  of  the  treasure  on 
board  the  Philistia,  or  on  board  any  other  ship  which 
may  be  despatched  for  the  purpose,  and  that,  therefore, 
no  attempt  should  be  made  to  entrap  those  who  will  go 
ashore  to  convey  away  the  boxes.  Any  attempt  of  this 
kind  might  be  followed  by  retaliatory  measures  against 
the  persons  of  the  hostages.  As  it  is  sincerely  desired  to 
avoid  unnecessary  unpleasantness,  and  to  encourage  the 


94  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Lusatian  Government  to  act  in  good  faith,  it  is  added 
that  the  great  speed  of  the  Pliilistia,  combined  with 
the  amount  of  coal  which  she  carries,  precludes  the 
possibility  of  her  capture  by  any  vessel  afloat,  and 
renders  pursuit  of  her  worse  than  useless. 

'  Upon  the  treasure  having  been  taken  from  the  island, 
examined,  weighed,  and  found  to  be  correct,  his  Imperial 
and  Eoyal  Majesty  and  suite  will  be  immediately  con- 
veyed to  the  neighbourhood  of  one  of  the  great  commercial 
ports  and  there  landed.  They  will  be  provided  with 
money  and  all  necessaries,  and  will  thus  be  placed  in  a 
position  to  reach  Lusatia  with  all  speed  and  with  suitable 
comfort. 

'During  their  unavoidable  detention  until  ransomed 
they  will  be  treated  with  the  utmost  consideration  and 
respect,  and  all  possible  arrangements  will  be  made  for 
their  convenience.  Only  the  adoption  by  the  Lusatian 
Government  or  its  emissaries  of  a  course  of  bad  faith, 
or  the  neglect  by  the  said  Government  to  place  upon  the 
Island  of  Sala-y-Gomez  the  stipulated  ransom  within  a 
period  of  seven  calendar  months  from  the  date  of  the 
Emperor's  enforced  departure  from  Friedenhaven,  will 
bring  about  any  alteration  in  the  mode  of  treatment  of 
the  hostages.  In  the  case  either  of  bad  faith  or  of 
neglect,  the  captors  reserve  to  themselves  full  right  to 
act  as  circumstances  may  seem  to  indicate.  They  wish 
in  the  meanwhile  that  it  may  be  clearly  understood  that 
upon  the  full  and  honourable  compliance  of  the  Lusatian 
Government  with  the  conditions  herein  laid  down,  the 
Emperor's  safe  return  to  Lusatia  must  entirely  depend. 


KIDNAPPED  95 

Any  breach  of  conditions  may  immediately  bring  about 
the  most  lamentable  and  irremediable  of  all  results ;  and 
for  their  own  protection  the  captors  will  never  hesitate, 

should  need  arise,  to  proceed  to  extremities.' 

***** 

The  Emperor  handed  the  paper  to  Count  Stark. 

'  There,'  he  said,  '  is  the  modest  demand  of  these 
people  for  one  hundred  millions  of  marks.  So  far  as  I 
can  influence  matters,  not  one  pfennig  will  be  paid  to 
the  scoundrels ;'  and  he  sat  down  to  write.  His  first 
letter  was  to  Von  Dalhoff. 

*  My  deak  Von  Dalhoff  (he  wrote), 

'  A  circumstance  which  will  probably  strike  you 
as  almost  incredible  causes  me  to  congratulate  myself 
to-day  upon  the  existence  of  an  arrangement  which  may 
enable  you  to  save  my  country  from  grievous  trials. 
The  Count  and  half  a  dozen  officers,  whose  names  will 
be  sent  you  as  an  enclosure,  left  Friedenhaven  with  me 
this  morning  in  the  Adler,  to  go  on  board  the  Philistia 
to  witness  the  promised  experiments  with  the  Bolter 
gun.  Scarcely  were  we  on  board  the  Philistia  ere  she 
got  under  way,  and  we  were  curtly  informed  that  we 
were  prisoners,  and  that  we  should  not  be  liberated 
except  upon  payment  of  a  hundred  million  marks.  The 
particulars  of  this  outrageous  demand  you  will  find  in 
the  accompanying  printed  paper.  As  I  have  said,  the 
story  must  appear  incredible  to  you.  It  is,  nevertheless, 
an  uncomfortable  and  dangerous  fact — uncomfortable 
for  me  and  mine,  and  dangerous  for  the  empire  and  for 


96  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

the  peace  of  Europe.  Abroad  I  have  enemies  who,  if 
they  knew  that  I  am  in  my  present  position,  would  not 
scruple  to  take  advantage  of  the  fact  in  order  to  deal  a 
blow  at  Lusatia,  which,  they  would  conclude,  could  not 
be  otherwise  than  partially  demoralized  by  the  sudden 
abduction  of  its  sovereign  and  leader  in  war.  It  is 
therefore  of  the  first  importance  that  my  disappearance 
shall  be  concealed.  You  have  my  full  authority  to  take 
whatever  steps  may  be  necessary  to  this  end.  Nay,  I 
distinctly  enjoin  you  to  do  so,  for  I  am  persuaded  that 
by  no  other  methods  can  the  immediate  outbreak  of 
European  war  be  averted.  I  send  you  my  rings  and  a 
few  other  personal  belongings,  which  will  greatly  assist 
you  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  which  I  now  thrust 
upon  your  shoulders.  My  dear  sister,  the  Princess,  will 
also,  I  well  know,  loyally  and  truly  help  you  and  me. 
To  her  I  am  writing  my  wishes.  Consult  her  in  all 
things,  but  in  all  things  recollect  that  I  confide  in  you. 
You  are  my  sole  representative,  and  have  power,  by  my 
will,  to  give  orders,  to  personate  me,  and  to  simulate  and 
use  my  signature  in  such  manner  as  will  best  further  my 
aims  and  the  welfare  of  my  country.  When  I  return  it 
will  not  be  difficult  to  justify  ourselves,  and  to  obtain  for 
you  an  indemnity ;  and  it  shall  be  my  care  that  you,  at 
least,  do  not  suffer.  But  if  I  do  not  return  within  a 
year,  or  if,  in  the  meanwhile,  you  obtain  reasonable 
evidence  that  I  am  dead,  your  duty  will  be  to  call  a 
council  of  ministers,  to  show  them  this  letter,  and  to 
take  their  advice.  Until  then,  or  until  I  return,  I  charge 
you  upon  no  consideration  to  permit  it  to  be  supposed 


KIDNAPPED  97 

that  you  are  not  I,  or  that  the  Emperor  is  not  at  his 
post.  The  trust  is  great.  I  know,  rny  dear  Von  Dalhoff, 
that  you  are  not  unworthy  of  it. 

'  To  only  one  person  who  does  not  already  know  it 
must  the  secret  of  our  arrangement  be  entrusted.  Her 
Highness  the  Princess  Griselda,  my  promised  wife,  is 
entitled  to  be  told,  and  must  be  told,  the  truth.  I  am 
asking  my  sister,  the  Princess  Nannette,  to  tell  it  her,  of 
course  with  all  precautions,  and  I  am  enclosing  to  my 
sister  a  letter  to  the  Princess  Griselda  herself,  to  be 
delivered  when  the  communication  shall  have  been 
made,  as  may  be  decided. 

'  Do  not  for  one  moment  entertain  the  idea  of  paying 
a  ransom  of  any  kind  whatever  to  our  cajjtors.  Only 
the  Count,  the  Admiral,  and  the  officers  whose  names 
accompany  this,  must  be  supposed  to  have  been  carried 
off.  It  may  be  suggested,  if  you  like,  that  the  scoundrels 
aimed  at  you,  but  missed  you.  That  is  for  you  to  deter- 
mine. If  we  are  rescued  it  must  be  in  the  only  dignified 
way — by  the  power  of  Lusatia,  and  not  by  its  gold. 
Send,  therefore,  a  strong  force  of  ships  to  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Sala-y-Gomez,  and  harass  the  Philistia  until  she 
be  taken  or  destroyed.  I  scarcely  doubt  that  foreign 
governments  will  gladly  co-operate  in  the  work.  Even 
if  we  all  have  to  be  sacrificed  do  not  consent  to  pay  one 
pfennig  by  way  of  ransom.  I  am  not  an  article  of  mer- 
chandise.    Eemember  this. 

'And  now,  my  good  Yon  Dalhoff,  as  there  is  much 
that  I  must  write  to  others,  and  as  I  confide  implicitly 
in  your  loyalty,  ability  and  courage,  I  hamper  you  with 

7 


98  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

no  further  orders.  I  only  add,  since  it  may  assist  you 
in  pursuit  of  us,  that  Mr.  Hoodlum  is  on  board.  His 
connection  with  our  captors  I  cannot  discover,  for  I 
have  not  yet  had  any  interview  with  him  since  we  were 
detained.  But  I  am  bound  to  tell  you  that  I  can 
scarcely  resist  the  conclusion  that  he'  is  an  accomplice. 
I  advise  you,  therefore,  should  he  be  caught,  to  regard 
him  with  suspicion,  unless  he  can  give  the  fullest  and 
most  convincing  explanations.  At  the  same  time,  I  pray 
that  I  may  be  doing  him  an  injustice,  for,  as  you  know, 
he  and  I  are  old  friends.  Keep  a  good  heart,  my  dear 
Von  Dalhoff.  Do  for  me  and  for  mine,  in  face  of  this 
outrage,  what  you  can ;  and,  when  we  meet  again, 
believe  me,  there  shall  be  nothing  which,  asking,  you 
may  not  obtain  from  your  attached  friend  and  sovereign, 

1  Cakl,  I.  K.' 

Just  as  the  Emperor  had  finished  writing  and  was  in 
the  act  of  ringing  the  bell  at  his  side,  one  of  his  officers 
entered  to  say  that  Admiral  Spott  and  Mr.  Hoodlum  had 
been  liberated,  and  that  the  Admiral  requested  per- 
mission to  deliver  up  his  sword.  The  Admiral  was  in 
waiting  outside  the  cabin  door,  and,  being  commanded 
to  come  in,  gave  up  his  weapon,  which  the  Emperor 
at  once  carried  to  the  ship's  side  and  threw  over- 
board. 

'  Resurget,  my  dear  Admiral,'  he  said.  '  In  the  mean- 
time it  is  better  there  than  in  the  hands  of  the  unworthy. 
Be  so  good  as  to  cause  to  be  made  out  for  me  a  list  of 
the  officers  who  are  with  us,  that  I  may  send  it  ashore 


KIDNAPPED  99 

with  my  despatches,  and,  please,  desire  the  Field- 
Marshal  to  come  to  my  cabin.' 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that,  except  the  Prin- 
cess Nannette,  the  Field-Marshal  alone  enjoyed  the 
Emperor's  confidence  on  the  subject  of  the  arrange- 
ments with  Von  Dalhoff.  When,  therefore,  the  old 
soldier  appeared,  the  Emperor  handed  to  him  the  letter 
to  Von  Dalhoff,  and,  while  the  Count  was  reading  it, 
began  a  letter  to  the  Prmcess  Nannette. 

'  Well,  do  you  approve,  my  dear  Stark  ?'  the  Emperor 
asked,  after  a  few  minutes  had  elapsed. 

'  Sire,  certain  things  that  are  permissible  and  indeed 
desirable  and  necessary  in  war  must  not  be  gauged  by 
peace  standards.  I  pray  that  your  Majesty's  plan  may 
find  in  Von  Dalhoff  a  genius  capable  of  carrying  it  out. 
As  for  your  Majesty's  refusal  to  entertain  the  idea  of 
ransom,  I  am  delighted.  Your  Majesty  cannot  treat 
with  criminals  and  thieves.  But  I  venture  to  fear,  sire, 
that  you  will  be  put  to  grave  inconvenience.' 

The  Emperor  smiled  for  the  first  time  since  he  had 
learnt  of  his  detention. 

'  What  I  regret  most,  Count,  is  that  I  cannot  order 
you  to  go  home  at  once.     Who  takes  our  letters  ashore  ?' 

'  From  conversation  which  I  have  overheard,  sire,  I 
gather  that  Mr.  Hoodlum  is  to  go.' 

The  Emperor  whistled  slightly,  and,  stooping  at  his 
desk,  added  to  his  letter  to  Von  Dalhoff :  '  If  this  be 
brought  you  by  Mr.  Hoodlum,  you  may  create  a  most 
beneficial  effect  by  seizing  an  early  opportunity  of  show- 
ing yourself  to  him  in  a  new  character.     But  I  recoin- 


ioo  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

mend  you  to  get  rid  of  him  from  the  country.  He  may 
be,  and  I  hope  is,  my  friend,  yet,  for  the  present,  it  is 
the  safest  course.'  And,  having  finished  the  brief  post- 
script, his  Majesty  made  some  of  his  rings  and  trinkets 
into  a  neat  little  parcel,  which,  with  the  letter  and  the 
list  of  the  officers'  names,  he  wrapped  up  in  several  thick- 
nesses of  paper,  sealed,  and  addressed  to  Von  Dalhoff. 
He  then  completed  his  letter  to  the  Princess  Nannette, 
wrote  one,  to  be  enclosed  with  it,  to  the  Princess 
Griselda,  and,  with  the  despatches  in  his  hand,  went  out 
on  deck  in  order  to  discover,  if  he  could,  the  whereabouts 
of  the  Philistia.  So  well  did  he  know  the  coast  that  he 
had  little  difficulty  in  satisfying  himself  that  the  ship 
was  off  the  little  island  of  Moen,  near  the  southern 
entrance  to  the  Sound  of  Elsinore.  She  was  heading 
o  the  northward  and  steaming  at  full  speed. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HE.    HOODLUM   IS    SURPRISED. 

Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum  was  in  a  very  unenviable  frame  of 
mind.  He  realized  that  but  for  him  the  Emperor  would 
not  have  been  kidnapped,  and,  though  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  throughout  he  had  acted  in 
perfect  good  faith  and  with  the  best  intentions,  he  could 
not  but  be  aware  that  the  turn  of  events  must  cause  him 
to  be  regarded  by  his  Lusatian  friends  in  general,  and  by 
the  Emperor  in  particular,  with  serious  suspicion.  Furious, 
therefore,  at  having  been  made  the  instrument  whereby 
Snaggs's  traitorous  schemes  had  been  fashioned  and 
made  practicable,  he  no  sooner  learnt,  after  his  libera- 
tion from  duress,  particulars  of  the  project  of  the  con- 
spirators than  he  went  to  settle  matters  with  the  Hon. 
Barnwell. 

Snaggs  had  temporarily  left  the  bridge  and  was  in  his 
cabin.  There  Hoodlum  found  him,  discussing  the  situa- 
tion with  two  of  his  friends  and  partners. 

'Guess  we  don't  want  you  in  here,  Mr.  Hoodlum,' 
said    the    Colonel,   rising    as    the    American    entered. 


102  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'  You'd  best  look  spry  and  get  ready  for  going  ashore, 
for  the  boat  will  leave  at  three.' 

'  You  don't  want  me!'  repeated  Hoodlum;  'I  dare 
say  not !'  And,  without  another  word,  he  launched  him- 
self bodily  through  the  air  at  the  Colonel,  and,  striking 
him  in  the  face  with  both  fists  simultaneously,  felled  him 
to  the  deck. 

Snaggs's  friends  at  once  seized  the  wrathful  Esek, 
who,  having  vented  his  indignation,  offered  very  little 
resistance. 

1 1  am  happier  now,'  he  exclaimed,  '  for  I  hope  I  have 
marked  that  scoundrel  for  many  a  day  to  come.' 

Snaggs,  who  had  fallen  heavily,  knocking  his  head 
against  the  corner  of  a  table,  did  not  move,  but  lay 
breathing  stertorously  with  his  face  covered  with  blood. 

One  of  the  men  called  for  assistance,  and,  in  a  very 
few  minutes,  Hoodlum,  this  time  in  irons,  was  again 
locked  in  the  empty  cabin,  and  the  ship's  doctor,  having 
examined  Snaggs,  pronounced  him  to  be  stunned  and  to 
have  acquired  a  broken  nose  and  a  badly-contused  eye, 
but  to  be  otherwise  not  seriously  hurt. 

The  American  who  at  Cape  Charles  had  figured  as 
Major  Bolter,  and  whose  real  name  was  Agamemnon 
Rawlins,  was  Snaggs's  principal  lieutenant,  and,  during 
the  temporary  disablement  of  his  chief,  assumed  the 
conduct  of  affairs.  Conscious  that  Snaggs,  upon  his  re- 
covery, would  be  anxious  to  take  summary  vengeance 
upon  his  assailant,  and  desirous  to  avoid,  if  possible,  the 
perpetration  of  violent  acts,  Mr.  Rawlins,  when  he  had 
heard  the  doctor's  report,  went   on   deck   in  order   to 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  103 

hasten  the   departure   of   the   boat.     As  he  did  so  he 
almost  stumbled  against  the  Emperor. 

'Beg  pardon,  your  Majesty/  he  said  easily  and  in- 
offensively, '  but  if  your  despatches  are  ready  I  should 
like  the  boat  to  leave  the  ship  as  soon  as  possible  in 
order  to  prevent  trouble.  One  of  your  friends,  you  see. 
has  assaulted  Colonel  Snaggs.  It  was  natural  enough,  I 
dare  say,  but  Snaggs  will  be  mad  when  he  comes  round, 
and,  if  your  friend  is  in  the  ship,  the  Colonel  '11  be 
wanting  to  shoot  him.' 

1  Who  has  assaulted  Colonel  Snaggs  ?'  demanded  the 
Emperor. 

'  Your  Majesty's  American  friend,  Mir.  Hoodlum,' 
replied  Eawlins. 

The  Emperor  was  greatly  relieved. 

'  Mr.  Hoodlum  and  Colonel  Snaggs  are  not  on  good 
terms,  then  '?'  he  asked. 

'  "Well,  your  Majesty,  I  put  it  to  you  whether  it  is 
quite  likely.  Snaggs  is  carrying  you  off.  Mr.  Hoodlum 
was  led  into  indoocing  you  to  come  on  board.  Naturally 
he  feels  kinder  hurt,  and  so  he  let  his  feelings  git  the 
better  of  his  judgment,  and  went  for  Snaggs.1 

'  By  all  means  let  the  boat  go  ashore,  then,'  assented 
the  Emperor.     '  But  where  is  Mr.  Hoodlum  ?' 

'  Well,  we've  had  to  put  him  in  irons,  your  Ma;' 
but   I've   no   objection  to  letting  him   out   it   he'll   be 
quiet.' 

'  If  you  will  tell  him  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  him  here, 
and  will  send  him  up,  I  will  undertake  that  he  shall  be 
quiet.' 


104  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

1  "Why,  cert'nly,  your  Majesty,'  returned  Rawlins ; 
1  I'll  tell  him  so,  and  I'll  get  the  boat  away  at  once.' 

Hoodlum  soon  came  on  deck,  looking  extremely  un- 
happy ;  but  he  was  somewhat  reassured  when  the  Emperor 
approached  him  and  offered  his  hand. 

'  You  mustn't  champion  my  cause  in  this  violent  way, 
my  dear  Hoodlum.  Remember,  you  are  to  act  as  our 
postman  to  the  shore,  and  for  that  office  we  need  some- 
one whom  we  can  trust,'  the  Emperor  said  kindly. 

'  I  was  exasperated,  sir,  at  the  position  in  which  I 
have  quite  unwillingly  placed  you  and  placed  myself,' 
returned  Hoodlum.  '  I  felt  that  you  could  scarcely  help 
regarding  me  with  grave  suspicion.  I  assure  you,  upon 
my  honour,  that  I  have  been  as  much  deceived  as  you, 
and  that  if  I  be  to  blame,  it  is  solely  for  having  been 
too  zealous  in  attending  to  what  I  believed  to  be  your 
interests.' 

'  Don't  let  that  trouble  you,'  said  the  Emperor.  '  After 
what  I  have  heard,  I  cannot  attribute  to  you  &ny  fault 
worse  than  the  fault  of  having  been  imposed  upon,  and 
in  that  I  am  myself  a  sharer.  You  are  now  going 
ashore ' 

'  I  would  much  rather  remain.' 

'It  is  best  that  you  should  go.  I  have  here  some 
letters  which  I  should  not  like  to  be  obliged  to  entrust 
to  strange  hands.  One  is  to  my  secretary  and  aide-de- 
camp, the  Baron  von  DalhofT.  I  want  you  to  see  him 
and  deliver  it  in  person.  The  other  is  to  the  Princess 
Nannette.  When  you  find  yourself  ashore,  I  teg  you 
to  spare  neither  pains  nor  expense  in  getting  as  quickly 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  105 

as  possible  to  Sandburg.  It  is  of  importance  that  my 
abduction  should  not  be  publicly  known  any  sooner  than 
may  be  inevitable.  Tell  the  facts  to  Yon  Dalhoff  and  to 
the  Princess,  but  to  the  people  in  the  boat  and  to  all 
others  suggest,  if  you  can,  that,  having  altered  my 
plans,  I  purpose  to  land  at  Gottenborg,  Christiania,  or 
where  you  will.  You  may  be  sure,'  he  added,  with  a 
smile,  '  that  I  shall  if  I  can.  Or  be  reticent,  and  say 
nothing  at  all  to  chance  questioners.  It  is  all  important 
to  gain  time ;  even  a  few  hours  may  be  valuable.  So 
I  confide  in  you  to  do  your  best  for  me.' 

'  I  am  sure,  sir,  that  after  the  stupid  exhibition  I  have 
made  of  myself,  and  after  the  trouble  and  anxiety  which 
I  am  unwittingly  causing,  it  is  very  generous  of  you  to 
confide  in  me  at  all ;  but  I  will  do  my  best.' 

'  I  wish  to  confess  to  you,  Hoodlum,'  continued  the 
Emperor,  '  that  in  my  mind  I  at  first  almost  did  you 
the  injustice  of  believing  that  you  were  in  league  with 
these  people ;  but  the  suspicion  is  entirely  removed.' 

1 1  thank  you,  sir,  with  all  my  heart.  Be  sure  that 
I  shall  make  what  amends  I  can  for  my  credulity  and 
folly.' 

'  And  one  thing  more,'  added  the  Emperor.  'Do  not 
take  it  unkindly.  I  think  that,  when  you  have  delivered 
our  letters,  you  will  consult  my  interests,  as  well  as 
your  own,  by  leaving  Lusatia.  I  don't  want  you  to  be 
identified  in  the  popular  mind  with  to-day's  work ;  and 
there  are  other  reasons.  Some  day,  if  things  go  welL 
I  shall  ask  you  to  come  and  see  me  again.  In  the 
meantime,  we  shall  not  forget  our  old  friendship.     Now, 


io6  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

I  hear  them  ordering  the  engines  to  be  stopped.  I  have 
just  another  note  to  write;  please  do  not  go  without  it. 
I  shall  be  in  my  cabin.' 

The  Emperor's  final  note  took  the  shape  merely  of 
a  line  to  Von  Dalhoff  exonerating  Hoodlum,  but  adding 
that,  as  Hoodlum's  presence  in  Sandburg  might  com- 
plicate the  inevitable  difficulties  of  the  course  which 
Von  Dalhoff  had  been  directed  to  pursue,  Hoodlum,  at 
the  Emperor's  wish,  would  take  an  early  opportunity  of 
leaving  Lusatia. 

The  Emperor  was  about  to  take  this  note  on  deck, 
when  he  was  met  at  his  cabin-door  by  Eawlins. 

'Beg  pardon,  your  Majesty,'  said  the  man,  'but  I 
must  respectfully  ask  you  not  to  go  on  deck  until  the 
boat  has  pushed  off.  The  officer  and  men  in  her  might 
be  suspicious  if  they  saw  your  Majesty  and  suite  under 
any  kind  of  constraint ;  so  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of 
putting  two  sentinels  outside  to  enforce  orders.' 

The  Emperor  fumed. 

'  Then  ask  Mr.  Hoodlum  to  come  to  me,'  he  said 
shortly. 

Hoodlum  entered  almost  immediately,  and  found  the 
Emperor  rapidly  pacing  the  cabin. 

'They  have  shut  me  up  until  you  shall  have  gone, 
Hoodlum,'  the  latter  explained ;  '  so  I  must  ask  you  to 
pacify  the  officer  and  men  in  the  launch.  If  they  knew 
what  has  occurred,  they  would,  I  am  persuaded,  try  to 
take  the  steamer;  and  the  result  would  be  inevitably 
fatal  to  every  one  of  them,  and  might,  moreover,  prevent 
us  for  the  present  from  communicating  with  the  shore 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  107 

even  by  other  means.  Therefore  tell  the  officer  in  the 
boat  that  I  desire  him  to  land  you  at  the  nearest  point, 
and  then,  obtaining  coal  and  water,  if  necessary,  to 
return  to  Friedenhaven.  Stay,  I  will  write  him  an 
order;'  and  the  Emperor  hastily  scribbled  a  dozen 
words  on  a  sheet  of  paper.  '  Now,'  he  added,  as  he 
gave  the  paper  to  Hoodlum,  '  good-bye,  and  may  you  get 
quickly  to  Sandburg !' 

The  Emperor  held  out  his  hand,  which  his  friend 
grasped  with  some  emotion  ere  he  turned  quickly  away 
and  left  the  cabin. 

It  was  a  parting  which  hurt  the  Emperor  deeply,  for 
with  Hoodlum  Lusatia  seemed  to  withdraw  into  the 
unattainable  distance.  Thenceforward,  for  weeks,  for 
months,  perhaps  for  ever,  there  would  be  no  communi- 
cation between  the  sovereign  and  the  land  which  he 
loved.  He  would  not  know  how  it  fared,  or  whether 
his  plans,  hastily  devised  in  hope  of  saving  it  from  the 
worst  evils,  were  prospering,  or  were  all  in  vain.  If 
evils  happened,  he  would  not  be  in  his  proper  place, 
aiding  and  inspiring  his  countrymen  to  triumph  over 
them.  And  with  Lusatia  there  went  from  him  his  sister 
and  his  promised  wife.  More  than  once  during  the  five 
minutes  after  Hoodlum  had  left  him  the  Emperor  barely 
restrained  an  impulse  to  rush  out  at  all  hazards,  and 
to  leap  from  the  deck  into  the  sea,  trusting  that  the 
launch  might  pick  him  up  and  get  away  with  him  ere 
it  could  be  caught  or  sunk ;  but,  happily,  he  did  restrain 
it,  for  the  attempt,  if  made,  could  only  have  ended  in 
disaster. 


108  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  the  sentries  were  removed, 
and  the  Emperor  went  on  deck,  where,  with  his  suite 
around  him,  he  watched  the  launch,  which,  no  longer 
bearing  the  gay  imperial  ensign,  steamed  fast  into  Faxe 
Bay,  bound  for  the  little  town  of  Stubberup,  where  there 
is  a  railway-station. 

"While  the  Philistia  ploughed  her  way  through  the 
Sound  and  Kattegat,  and  rounded  the  Scaw  into  the 
Skager  Bak  and  the  North  Sea,  Hoodlum,  anxious  only 
to  deliver  his  despatches  at  the  earliest  possible  moment, 
did  a  remarkable  piece  of  travelling  to  Sandburg ;  and, 
since  affairs  at  the  Lusatian  capital  demand  attention 
ere  the  fortunes  of  the  steamship  need  be  further  fol- 
lowed, he  may,  for  convenience,  be  accompanied  on  his 
journey. 

It  was  twenty  minutes  after  three  in  the  afternoon 
when  he  landed  at  Stubberup.  By  a  quarter  to  four 
he  had  started  on  a  special  engine  for  Kioge,  which  he 
reached  at  a  quarter  past  five.  At  Kioge,  whither  he 
had  telegraphed  in  advance,  he  obtained  a  special  train 
which  deposited  him  at  Boskilde  at  twenty  minutes  to 
six.  There  he  dined,  and,  taking  the  ordinary  train, 
reached  Korscer  at  thirty-five  minutes  past  nine,  and 
the  ordinary  steamers  and  train  landed  him  at  Fredericia 
at  seven  minutes  to  two  in  the  morning.  There  a  special 
train,  ordered  by  wire,  awaited  him,  and,  making  Altona 
at  a  quarter  past  seven,  he  got  into  Sandburg  as  the 
clocks  were  striking  eleven. 

At  Altona  he  succeeded  in  procuring  a  morning  paper, 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  it  he  turned  with  feverish  haste 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  109 

to  the  column  in  which  the  Sandburg  court  intelligence 
was  printed.     What  he  read  there  greatly  relieved  him. 

'Yesterday  morning  early,'  it  ran,  'his  Imperial  and 
Boyal  Majesty  the  Emperor,  accompanied  by  his  Excel- 
lency the  Field-Marshal  Count  Stark,  Admiral  Spott, 
and  a  small  suite,  embarked  on  board  the  yacht  Adler 
off  Friedenhaven,  and,  proceeding  down  the  Bay, 
escorted  by  the  fleet  which  has  been  taking  part  in  the 
manoeuvres,  visited  the  American  steamer  Philistia  in 
order  to  witness  some  experiments  with  the  new  guns 
which  have  been  mounted  in  her.  It  was  understood 
that  the  experiments  would  take  place  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Bay,  but,  contrary  to  general  expectation,  the 
Philistia,  having  weighed  anchor,  took  the  Imperial 
launch  in  tow,  and,  steaming  to  seaward,  was  in  an 
hour  lost  to  sight.  It  is  anticipated  that  his  Majesty 
desired  to  witness  experiments  upon  a  somewhat  more 
extensive  scale  than  could  be  easily  conducted  in  the 
comparatively  narrow  waters  in  which  the  fleet  is  lying, 
and  that  he  may  even  wish  to  see  firing  by  night.  Up 
to  a  late  hour  the  Philistia  had  not  returned  to  port. 
The  weather  is  beautiful.  It  is  feared  that  his  Majesty, 
in  consequence  of  this  alteration  in  his  arrangements, 
may  not  return  to  Sandburg  to-day  at  the  hour  originally 
fixed.' 

'  I  should  think  that  there  is  every  probability  that  he 
will  not,'  thought  Hoodlum  gloomily. 

Lower  down  he  read  three  telegrams.  One,  dated 
from  Stubberup,  announced  that  '  The  steam  launch  of 
his  Lusatian  Majesty's  Imperial  yacht  Adler  put  in  here 


no  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

this  afternoon  to  land  a  courier  with  despatches,  and  to 
obtain  coal  and  water.  An  hour  later  she  steamed  away 
from  Friedenhaven.'  A  second,  from  Friedenhaven, 
said :  '  The  steam  launsh  in  which  his  Majesty  and 
suite  went  on  board  the  Philistia  this  morning  returned 
after  dark  to  the  Adler.  She  reports  that  she  took 
ashore  at  Stubberup  Mr.  Hoodlum,  the  American  who 
has  been  his  Majesty's  guest  during  the  manoeuvres, 
and  who  was  entrusted  with  despatches,  and  that  his 
Majesty  purposed  to  prolong  his  voyage  to  Gottenborg, 
or  perhaps  to  Christiania,  before  returning.  To  his 
Majesty's  well-known  love  of  the  sea,  and  to  his  natural 
desire  for  rest  and  change  after  the  fatigues  of  the  past 
fortnight,  this  alteration  in  the  Imperial  plans  must  be 
attributed.'  The  third  telegram,  dated  from  the  Scaw 
at  midnight,  was  very  brief,  and  announced  that  'a 
large  steamer,  supposed  to  be  the  Philistia,  passed  here 
at  half-past  eleven,  bound  west.' 

The  last  telegram  was  the  only  one  which  was  at 
all  likely  to  excite  suspicion  and  alarm ;  for,  had  the 
Philistia  been  bound  for  Gottenborg,  she  would  not  have 
been  sighted  from  the  Scaw  at  all,  and,  had  she  been 
bound  for  Christiania,  she  would  have  been  steaming 
north  instead  of  west.  '  But,  perhaps,'  thought  Hood- 
lum, '  people  will  not  notice  that  fact.' 

They  did  notice  it,  however;  for  when  Hoodlum, 
before  jumping  into  a  cab  at  Sandburg,  in  order  to  be 
driven  to  the  Palace,  consulted  the  second  edition  of 
one  of  the  metropolitan  morning  papers,  he  found  a 
large-type    paragraph    which    was    ominously   headed, 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  in 

'Apprehensions  concerning  the  Emperor's  Safety,'  and 
which  was  worded  as  follows  : 

'  We  have  already  announced  that  yesterday  morning 
the  Emperor  proceeded  on  board  the  American  steamer 
PhilisUa;  that  the  steamer,  contrary  to  expectation,  at 
once  put  to  sea ;  that  she  sent  a  boat  ashore  yesterday 
afternoon  at  Stubberup ;  that  the  boat  subsequently 
returned  to  Friedenhaven  and  reported  the  Emperor's 
supposed  decision  to  go  as  far  as  Gottenborg  or  Chris- 
tiania ;  and  that  late  last  night  the  PhilisUa  passed  the 
Scaw  going  to  the  westward.  This  last  piece  of  in- 
telligence induced  us  early  this  morning  to  make 
inquiries  by  telegraph  both  at  Gottenborg  and  at  Chris- 
tiania,  whence  we  are  now  informed  that  the  Philistia 
has  not  called  there,  and  that  nothing  whatever  is  known 
of  her.  While  we  are  exceedingly  unwilling  to  entertain 
any  feelings  of  uneasiness  as  to  the  safety  of  our  beloved 
sovereign,  we  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  absence 
of  definite  news  of  his  Majesty's  movements  must, 
should  it  be  prolonged  for  many  hours,  excite  alarm 
of  the  most  terrible  kind.  It  is,  of  course,  possible  that 
his  Majesty  may  have  landed  at  one  of  the  smaller 
ports  on  the  Danish  or  Swedish  coasts,  and  may  be  even 
now  returning  to  his  capital ;  but  we  need  scarcely  point 
out  that  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  improbable  that 
the  Emperor  can  have  landed  anywhere  without  bein^ 
recognised,  and  that,  if  he  had  been  recognised,  a  report 
of  his  landing  ought  ere  this  to  have  been  received.  We 
may  add  that  his  Majesty  has  promised  to  be  present 
this  evening  at  the  first  performance  of  the  new  opera 


112  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

"  Ariovistus "  at  the  Royal  Opera  House.  Should  the 
Emperor  happily  return  in  the  course  of  the  day,  his 
loyal  subjects  in  Sandburg  will  not,  therefore,  lack  an 
early  opportunity  of  publicly  welcoming  him.  "We  trust, 
in  the  meantime,  that  as  soon  as  any  news  of  his  Majesty 
is  received  the  authorities  will  calm  all  possible  mis- 
apprehensions by  communicating  the  facts  to  the  press.' 

Hoodlum  was  in  some  perturbation  when  he  reached 
the  Palace.  He  was  anxious  to  be  the  first  bearer  of 
intelligence  as  to  what  had  happened ;  for  he  realized 
that  it  might  be  of  great  importance  that  the  Govern- 
ment should  know  the  facts  before  the  newspapers  could 
get  hold  of  them,  and  he  feared  that,  after  all,  he  had 
arrived  too  late. 

Von  Dalhoff  and  the  Princess  were  also  uneasy. 
They  had,  of  course,  seen  the  reports  in  the  morning 
journals.  The  Princess  steadfastly  refused  to  believe 
that  any  harm  could  have  happened  to  her  brother,  and 
was  sanguine  enough  to  express  her  confidence  that  he 
would  still  be  back  by  noon ;  yet  her  restlessness,  and 
her  scarcely-repressed  agitation  at  any  unwonted  noise 
outside  or  movement  inside  the  Palace,  betrayed  the  fact 
that,  although  she  maintained  a  hopeful  exterior,  she 
was  vaguely  apprehensive.  As  for  Von  Dalhoff,  although, 
for  the  sake  of  the  Princess,  he  endeavoured  to  conceal 
his  forebodings,  he  knew  enough  of  the  methodical  and 
business-like  habits  of  his  sovereign  to  feel  quite  certain 
that  the  Emperor  would  not  have  willingly  altered  his 
arrangements  merely  in  order  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  and 
relaxation  of  a  sea-trip  in  the  Philistia;  and  he  was 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  113 

uncomfortably  confident  that  the  arrival  of  the  de- 
spatches which  were  said  to  have  been  sent  ashore  at 
Stubberup  would  reveal  that  something  wholly  unex- 
pected had  occurred.  He  had  not,  however,  the  remotest 
inkling  as  to  what  that  mysterious  something  might  be. 

The  Princess  and  Von  Dalhoff  were  together  in  the 
Emperor's  private  study,  searching  the  papers  and  dis- 
cussing all  the  possibilities  of  the  situation,  when  Hood- 
lum's cab  drove  at  a  rapid  pace  into  the  courtyard. 

The  Princess  ran  at  once  to  the  window,  as  she  had 
run  at  least  a  dozen  times  that  morning. 

'Oh,  it  is  Mr.  Hoodlum,  Baron!'  she  cried  excitedly. 
'  He  must  have  been  the  courier  who  was  sent  ashore. 
Now  we  shall  know.' 

'  I  am  going  to  take  a  friend's  privilege,'  said  Von 
Dalhoff  gently  :  '  I  am  going  to  hear  the  news  first.  If 
it  be  good  news,  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  imparting 
it  to  you.  If  it  be  not  good,  I  may  spare  you  a  shock ; 
for  Mr.  Hoodlum  is  blunt  and  straightforward.  But 
the  news,  of  course,  is  good.  I  only  wish  to  be  on  the 
safe  side.' 

The  Princess  looked  at  Von  Dalhoff. 

'  You  are  afraid  that  something  bad  has  happened, 
she  said. 

'  I  am  afraid  of  nothing,'  he  returned,  forcing  a  smile, 
'  but  Mr.  Hoodlum's  possible  want  of  tact.  He  will 
come  up  flurried  and  hot  from  his  journey,  and  before 
he  has  had  time  to  explain,  your  Pioyal  Highness  will  be 
for  five  minutes  on  tenter-hooks.  I  beg  you  to  let  me 
see  him.' 

8 


114  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'  But  you  will  conceal  nothing  ?  Promise  me  that.' 
'  I  will  conceal  nothing.  There  will  be  nothing  to 
conceal.  I  will  meet  Mr.  Hoodlum  in  his  Majesty's 
smoking-room.  If  you  will  remain  here,  I  will  re- 
turn to  your  Eoyal  Highness  the  instant  I  know  the 
facts.' 

At  that  moment  a  servant  entered  to  say  that  Hood- 
lum desired  to  see  Yon  Dalhoff  at  once  on  important 
business. 

'  Show  him  into  the  smoking-room,'  said  the  Baron. 
'Now,'  he  continued  to  the  Princess,  'if  your  Eoyal 
Highness  will  be  patient  for  only  three  minutes  I  will 
come  back.' 

His  fingers  were  on  the  handle  of  the  door  of  com- 
munication, when  the  Princess  ran  to  him  and  seized 
his  other  hand. 

'  You  will  tell  me  all,'  she  pleaded — '  mind,  all — won't 
you?' 

He  looked  down  into  her  sweet  eyes,  in  which  tears 
were  already  welling. 

'Yes,'  he  said  tenderly;  'never  fear,  I  will  tell  you 
all.'  And  opening  the  door,  he  confronted  Hoodlum, 
weary  and  travel-stained. 

'  Oh,  Von  Dalhoff,'  began  the  American  at  once,  '  I 
have  brought  bad  news !  The  Emperor  is  well,  thank 
God  ;  but  he  has  been  seized — kidnapped — on  board  the 
Philistia,  and  carried  off!' 

For  an  instant  the  Baron  was  staggered. 
'Kidnapped!'    he    repeated    incredulously.     'Impos- 
sible!    Emperors  are  not  kidnapped  nowadays.     What 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  115 

do  you  mean,  Mr.  Hoodlum?  The  Emperor  was  with 
friends  of  yours.' 

1  They  are  no  friends  of  mine.  They  are  people  who 
deceived  me  in  order  to  deceive  the  Emperor.' 

1  They  are  at  least  your  acquaintances  and  your 
countrymen.    But  does  his  Majesty  send  no  despatches?' 

'  I  had  forgotten,'  said  Hoodlum.  '  Yes ;  there  are 
letters — two  for  you  and  one  for  the  Princess  Nannette.' 
And  he  took  them  from  his  pocket  and  handed  them  to 
the  Baron,  who,  after  merely  glancing  at  them,  said : 

'Well,  if  you  will  kindly  remain  here,  I  will  inform 
the  Princess.     She  may  wish  to  see  you.' 

It  was  with  very  painful  feelings  that  Von  Dalhoff 
returned  to  the  next  room.  He  saw  at  once  how  far- 
reaching  might  be  the  political  importance  of  the 
startling  event  of  which  he  had  just  heard,  and  he 
could  not  be  unmindful  of  its  possible  effects  upon  his 
fatherland.  But,  for  the  time,  his  chief  sympathies 
were  with  the  Princess,  of  whose  devotion  to  her  brother 
he  was  so  fully  aware ;  and  if,  on  quitting  her,  he  had 
felt  deeply  moved  by  the  rising  tears  in  her  eyes,  he 
now  naturally  felt  a  thousand  times  more  sympathetic, 
and  desirous,  if  possible,  of  softening  the  force  of  the 
blow  which  he  knew  must  be  inflicted. 

She  stood  waiting  for  him. 

'  It  is  bad  news !'  she  exclaimed,  as  he  appeared. 

He  threw  the  letters  upon  a  table,  and,  approaching 
her,  took  her  hand. 

1  It  is  good  news,  and  bad  news  too,'  he  said.  '  The 
Emperor   is   well,   and    sends  you   a   letter;    but  the 


n6  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Emperor,  too  noble-minded  to  suspect  treachery,  has 
been  deceived,  and  has  been  carried  off  to  sea  against 
his  will.' 

The  Princess  withdrew  her  hand  from  Von  Dalhoff  s, 
and  supported  herself  against  a  chair. 

'  Who  has  dared  ?'  she  asked,  her  colour  rising. 

'  They  are  Americans — the  people  whom  Mr.  Hoodlum 
introduced  to  his  Majesty.' 

'It  is  Mr.  Hoodlum's  conspiracy — I  am  sure  it  is!' 
the  Princess  declared  impulsively. 

'We  may  learn  from  his  Majesty's  letters,'  said  Von 
Dalhoff;  'but  I  cannot  believe  that  Mr.  Hoodlum  is 
seriously  to  blame.  With  your  Pioyal  Highness's  per- 
mission I  will  read  my  despatches.' 

And,  seating  himself  at  the  table,  he  opened  the  larger 
packet,  while  the  Princess,  now  as  pale  as  marble,  stood 
over  him  with  a  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  followed  the 
letter  as  he  read  it  aloud.  More  than  once  ere  he  had 
finished  did  hot  tears  drop  from  the  Princess's  eyes  upon 
the  paper.  At  first  they  were  tears  only  of  sorrow,  but 
then  came  tears  of  indignation  and  anger,  and,  before 
the  postscript  was  ended,  they  had  altogether  ceased. 

'Mr.  Hoodlum  is  a  villain,'  burst  out  the  Princess, 
'  and  the  Emperor  is  a  hero  !  Oh,  Baron,  I  am  proud 
of  my  dear  brother !' 

'Mr.  Hoodlum  is  not  a  villain,'  said  Von  Dalhoff, 
who  had  opened  the  second  letter  and  perused  its  brief 
contents.  '  This  exculpates  him  from  any  worse  charge 
than  one  of  having  been  imposed  upon.' 

'But  I  will  never  forgive  him  !'  declared  the  Princess. 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  117 

'  The  whole  misfortune  is  due  to  his  carelessness.     Oh, 

if   only  I  were  a  man,  I  would '     And  instead  of 

finishing  the  sentence,  she  stamped  a  foot. 

'  I  must  not  waste  time,'  said  Von  Dalhoff,  after  a, 
moment's  pause.  '  Is  your  Royal  Highness  content  for 
me  to  follow  the  Emperor's  instructions  ?' 

'  Content ! — am  I  content  ?'  she  exclaimed.  '  Why, 
you  must  follow  them  !    There  is  nothing  else  to  be  done.' 

'  It  will  be  necessary  for  your  Royal  Highness  to 
condescend  to  treat  me  in  all  respects  as  a  brother,' 
explained  Von  Dalhoff. 

'  If  you  can  do  what  he  wishes,  and  save  Lusatia  from 
trouble,  and  bring  him  back,  it  will  not  be  difficult  for 
me  to  treat  you  like  a  brother,'  said  the  Princess. 
'Each  day  you  will  earn  more  and  more  of  my  grati- 
tude.' 

'You  must  let  me  call  you  Nan,  or  "Pearl,"  you 
know,'  said  Von  Dalhoff,  who  felt  the  difficulty  of  this 
premier  pas. 

'  Yes,  and  I  must  call  you  Carl,'  rejoined  the  Princess; 
'  and  sometimes  you  must  call  me  "  little  one,"  for  when 
the  Emperor  is  very  pleased  with  me  he  calls  me  "little 
one."  It  is  only  a  new  habit  of  his,  yet  perhaps  some 
people  about  the  court  have  already  noticed  it.  And 
•now,  please,  go  and  show  Mr.  Hoodlum  that  the  Emperor 
is  not  so  far  away  as  is  believed.  If  you  do  it  will 
produce  the  very  best  effect,  and  will  stop  the  printing 
of  any  more  alarmist  paragraphs.  While  you  are  gone 
I  will  read  my  letter,  and  think.  Oh,  there  will  be 
worlds  to  think  about !' 


n8  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'Just  once  more,'  said  Yon  Dalhoff,  'I  shall  call  you 
"Your  Royal  Highness."  It  is  that  I  may  tell  you — 
as  representing  his  Majesty  the  Emperor,  my  master 
— that,  come  what  may,  I  will  strive  to  do  his  will 
during  his  absence  ;  and  that  I  am  loyally  determined 
to  keep  my  trust  undimmed,  and  to  work  and  labour 
effectively  for  him,  for  the  royal  house,  for  you,  and 
for  the  nation,  until  his  happy  return,  which  Heaven 
grant  may  not  be  long  delayed.' 

The  Princess  stretched  out  her  hand. 

'I  am  sure  you  will,  my  dear  Baron,'  she  said,  with 
warm  confidence. 

'But  thanks  will  be  mainly  due  to  your  help  and 
encouragement,'  he  added,  as,  having  stooped  and  kissed 
her  fingers,  he  left  the  room. 

In  the  meantime,  Hoodlum,  in  the  smoking-room, 
was  anxiously  examining  the  newspapers,  which,  as  they 
appeared,  were  brought  in,  according  to  custom,  and 
placed  in  order  upon  the  table.  Then  contents  were 
rapidly  becoming  more  and  more  alarmist.  One  journal 
gave  prominence  to  the  following  telegram,  dated  from 
Friedenhaven : 

'A  seaman,  who  formed  part  of  the  crew  of  the 
Adlcr's  steam  launch,  which  returned  last  night  to  this 
port  from  Stubberup,  tells  a  strange  story,  which,  if  it 
be  true,  cannot  but  excite  apprehension.  He  says  that 
the  launch  was  towed  astern  of  the  Philistia,  and  that, 
consequently,  it  was  impossible  for  the  men  in  her  to 
know  what  was  going  forward  on  the  steamer's  deck. 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  ng 

But  he  solemnly  declares  that,  when  the  vessel  was  off 
Falster,'  he  distinctly  saw  a  bundle  of  six  or  seven 
swords  thrown  overboard  from  the  Philistia  on  the 
starboard  side.  As  the  only  persons  on  board  the 
steamer  who  are  likely  to  have  worn  swords  are  his 
Majesty  the  Emperor  and  his  suite,  this  circumstance 
must  give  rise  to  suspicion.  The  man  asserts  that  he  at 
the  time  called  the  attention  of  others  in  the  launch  to 
the  fact,  but  that  he  alone  saw  the  swords  fall  into  the 
water.  In  consequence  of  what  he  said  to  the  lieutenant 
in  charge  of  the  boat,  that  officer,  when  it  was  first  indi- 
cated to  him  by  some  of  the  Philistia'' s  people  that  he  was 
to  take  despatches  on  shore,  decided  not  to  obey  without 
having  obtained  a  distinct  order  from  the  Emperor  or  from 
Admiral  Spott,  and  that  he  would  have  insisted  upon 
boarding  the  ship  to  obtain  this  had  not  a  written  order 
from  the  Emperor  been  handed  to  him  as  soon  as  the 
launch  reached  the  gangway.  In  face  of  that  order 
he  did  not  think  himself  justified  in  further  hesitating. 
The  uneasiness  here  is  growing.' 

Another  telegram,  dated  from  Farsund,  a  town  near 
the  southern  point  of  Norway,  announced  that  the 
Philistia  had,  in  the  early  morning,  passed  that  place, 
going  west ;  and,  in  a  leading  article,  headed  '  If  He 
Be  Gone,'  the  paper  which  contained  the  telegram  dis- 
cussed, in  a  very  suggestive  manner,  the  dangerous 
situation  in  which  Lusatia  would  find  herself  if  her 
Emperor  were  suddenly  snatched  from  her. 

Hoodlum   read  and   waited.      The   smoking-room   in 


120  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

which  he  sat  was  the  room  from  a  window  of  which  the 
Emperor  had  been  accustomed  to  watch  the  relief  of  the 
Palace  Guard  at  noon  ;  and  the  clatter  of  weapons  in 
the  courtyard,  followed  almost  immediately  by  the  com- 
mencement of  the  chiming  of  the  great  clock  of  the 
neighbouring  Church  of  St.  Hubertus,  reminded  the 
American  that,  though  the  Emperor  might  be  absent, 
guard-mounting  went  on  as  usual. 

'  I  wonder,'  he  thought  to  himself,  as  he  gazed  up  at 
the  great  battle-piece  over  the  carved  fireplace,  '  whether 
the  people  are  yet  becoming  alarmed.  If  they  are, 
there  will  be  a  crowd  to  witness  the  relief  of  the  guard 
and  to  see  whether  or  not  the  Emperor  has  come  home.' 

He  turned  to  look  out  of  the  window,  but  his  knees 
trembled  as  he  faced  it. 

With  his  back  towards  him,  there  stood  the  Emperor, 
watching  the  scene  in  the  courtyard,  and  returning  in 
his  usual  kindly  way  the  salute  of  the  populace. 

Hoodlum  dropped  powerless  upon  the  chair,  and 
gazed,  as  if  spellbound,  at  the  tall  figure  in  front  of  him. 
The  Emperor  held  one  hand  to  his  cap,  behind  his  back 
he  held  the  other,  and  upon  the  latter  Hoodlum  saw  the 
well-known  imperial  ring. 

The  American  was  not  habitually  superstitious ;  but, 
knowing  what  he  did,  he  could  not  at  first  resist  the 
conclusion  that  the  figure  was  either  a  spectre  or  the 
creature  of  his  own  excited  brain.  '  Perhaps,'  he 
thought,  '  this  is  a  warning  apparition.  Perhaps  worse 
evil  than  I  know  has  befallen  him.'  Then  another  train 
of  ideas  entered  his  mind.     '  The  Emperor,'  he  reflected, 


MR.  HOODLUM  IS  SURPRISED  121 

'  may  have  escaped  or  have  been  landed  soon  after  I  left 
the  ship.  I  hurried  hither  quickly  ;  but  it  is  true  that  I 
waited  last  night  to  dine  at  Eoskilde,  and  so  wasted  an 
hour  or  two.  He  may — it  is  barely  possible — have 
passed  me  on  the  way.' 

Still  the  Emperor  stood  saluting,  and  Hoodlum,  who 
could  not  speak,  and  who  would  not  have  ventured  to  do 
so  had  he  been  able,  sat  motionless  in  his  chair,  while  a 
cold  perspiration  stood  upon  his  brow. 

Suddenly  the  Emperor  turned,  and,  affecting  to 
notice  Hoodlum  for  the  first  time,  said  quite  calmly  : 

'  Well,  here  you  are  !     You  seem  surprised  to  see  me.' 

The  American  staggered  to  his  feet. 

'Heaven  be  thanked  that  you  have  escaped!'  he 
ejaculated  fervently.     '  How  did  you  manage  it,  sir  ?' 

The  Emperor  placed  his  forefinger  significantly  to 
his  lips. 

'  There  are  some  questions  which  cannot  be  con- 
veniently answered,  Hoodlum,  and  which  had  better  not 
be,  for  the  present,  asked.  You  will  know  the  story 
some  day.     The  despatches  ?' 

'  They  have  been  faithfully  delivered,  sir,'  answered 
the  astonished  Hoodlum. 

'  I  am  deeply  obliged  to  you — more  obliged  than  I  can 
say.     And  your  own  plans  ?' 

'  I  shall  follow  your  counsel,  and  leave  Sandburg  for 
a  time.  I  was  only  waiting  here  to  learn  whether  the 
Princess  desired  to  see  me.' 

'  I  think  she  does  not.  I  will  not  conceal  from  you 
that   she    blames   you.      But   I   will   ask   her.'      And, 


122  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

stepping  to  the  door  which  led  into  the  next  room,  the 
Emperor  opened  it  and  cried :  '  I  suppose  that  you  don't 
want  to  see  Mr.  Hoodlum,  Nan  ?' 

Whereto  the  Princess  significantly,  and  not  too 
graciously,  replied  : 

'  Certainly  not,  Carl !' 

An  hour  later  Sandburg  was  happy  again,  and  Hood- 
lum— puzzled,  but  thankful — was  packing  his  trunks  for 
London. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

INCONSISTENCY. 

There  is  no  reason  for  believing  that  anyone  in  Sand- 
burg, save  only  the  Princess  Nannette,  suspected  that 
the  Emperor  had  not  returned  from  the  manoeuvres,  or 
that  the  man  who  that  day  appeared  as  the  Emperor  at 
the  well-known  corner  window  of  the  royal  Palace  was 
not  the  Emperor.  If  there  had  been  doubts  in  the 
minds  of  any,  these  must  have  been  dispelled  when,  in 
the  afternoon,  Von  Dalhoff,  with  the  Princess  at  his  side, 
drove  in  the  park,  and  when,  in  the  evening,  both 
occupied  the  royal  box  at  the  performance  of  '  Ariovistus  ' 
at  the  Eoyal  Opera  House,  and  acknowledged  the  warm 
greeting  which  the  audience  gave  them. 

Next  morning  all  the  papers  contained  a  paragraph  to 
the  effect  that  it  was  unhappily  true,  as  had  been 
rumoured  in  certain  quarters  on  the  previous  day,  that 
a  dastardly  attempt  had  been  made  to  carry  off  his 
Imperial  and  Eoyal  Majesty  from  Friedenhaven  on 
board  the  steamship  Philistia.  Every  effort  would  be 
made  to  capture  and  punish  the  criminals,  who,  in  the 
meantime,  had  actually  succeeded  in  carrying  off  Field- 


124  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Marshal  Count  Stark,  Admiral  Spott,  and  six  officers 
whose  names  were  mentioned.  As  it  was  not  known  for 
certain  by  whom  the  outrage  had  been  instigated,  and 
as  undue  publicity  of  the  circumstance  of  the  attempt 
might  defeat  the  ends  of  justice  and  be  prejudicial  to  the 
interests  of  the  empire,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
suppress  details ;  but  the  people  might  be  confident  that 
the  Imperial  Government  would  take  such  measures  as 
the  occasion  called  for,  and  would  be  prompt  in  its 
pursuit  of  the  offenders  and  in  the  rescue  of  the 
captives.  It  was  intended  to  invite  the  co-operation  of 
foreign  Powers  to  this  end,  it  being  obviously  to  the 
advantage  of  civilization  to  spare  no  pains  to  put  down 
acts  of  this  abominable  kind.  At  the  same  time,  it 
must  not  be  anticipated  that  the  criminals  would  be 
immediately  taken,  since  they  were  on  board  a  fast  and 
powerful  vessel,  which  might  keep  the  sea  for  a  consider- 
able period,  and  might  not  be  caught,  unless  by 
stratagem,  until  she  should  be  forced  to  call  somewhere 
for  coal  or  stores.  During  the  enforced  absence  of  the 
captives  special  grants  would  be  made  to  their  families 
and  representatives,  who,  from  what  had  been  observed, 
might  be  easy  in  their  minds  as  to  the  way  in  which  the 
prisoners  were  being  treated  on  board  the  PJtilistia. 
An  imperial  order,  printed  in  the  same  papers,  granted 
the  Baron  von  Dalhoff  six  weeks'  leave  of  absence 
beyond  the  frontiers  of  Lusatia. 

At  the  various  Lusatian  dockyards  fast  cruisers  were 
as  rapidly  as  possible  fitted  out  and  commissioned  to 
go  in  search  of  the  kidnappers  ;  and,  within  a  few  weeks, 


INCONSISTENCY  125 

ships  of  other  Great  Powers  were  ordered  away  for  the 
same  purpose ;  so  that  at  the  end  of  a  couple  of  months 
there  was  quite  a  large  international  squadron  in  the 
Pacific.     But  of  all  that  anon. 

The  news  of  the  outrage  naturally  caused  immense 
excitement  throughout  Lusatia.  Much  of  this  died 
down,  however,  after  the  proverbial  nine  days ;  and,  as 
the  Government  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  make 
public  particulars  of  all  the  measures  that  were  being 
adopted,  the  newspapers  gradually  ceased  to  pay  much 
attention  to  the  subject,  and  decided  to  reserve  their 
'  full  and  complete  accounts,'  and  their  further  comments 
upon  the  heinousness  of  the  affair,  until  such  time  as 
they  should  have  facts  and  not  merely  rumours  and 
imaginings  to  which  to  devote  their  space. 

But  not  for  one  instant  did  the  cruel  fate  of  the 
Emperor  cease  to  occupy  the  minds  of  Von  Dalhoff  and 
the  Princess  Nannette,  to  whose  personal  anxieties  were 
added  a  thousand  daily  troubles  and  worries  which  grew 
spontaneously  out  of  the  extraordinary  situation  that 
had  been  created. 

The  most  puzzling  and  the  most  pressing  of  all  these 
questions  was  the  question  of  the  Princess  Griselda  of 
Stormarn.  Her  marriage  with  the  Emperor  had  been 
fixed  for  October  20,  and,  as  has  been  seen,  it  was  already 
October  10  when  Hoodlum  arrived  at  Sandburg  with  the 
despatches  which  showed  that  the  wedding  could  not 
possibly  take  place  on  the  appointed  day,  and  must,  upon 
some  specious  pretext,  be  postponed  indefinitely. 

An  anxious  telegram  from  the  Princess  Griselda  to 


126  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

the  Princess  Nannette  arrived  at  Sandburg  almost  as 
soon  as  Hoodlum  did.  '  Am  uneasy,'  it  ran,  '  about  the 
strange  reports  concerning  the  Emperor.  Please  send 
full  particulars.'  The  Princess  Nannette  showed  this  to 
Von  Dalhoff  as  soon  as  she  had  an  opportunity. 

'  Poor  girl !'  she  said.  '  How  shall  I  break  the  news  ? 
It  will  come  to  her  as  a  terrible  shock.' 

'  Either  the  Princess  ought  to  be  asked  to  come  here, 
or  you  ought  to  go  to  Stormarn,  I  think,'  replied  Von 
Dalhoff.  '  It  is  quite  certain  that  I  cannot  do  much. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  you  go  away  just  now,  my  position 
will  be  more  precarious  than  ever.  First  of  all,  however, 
we  must  telegraph  that  the  Emperor  is  quite  well,  and 
that  you  are  writing  to  the  Princess.' 

'  Yes,  we  must  reassure  her  for  the  present,  and,  as 
you  say,  I  ought  not  to  risk  leaving  Sandburg  yet.  I 
will  telegraph  and  write ;  but  oh  !  what  shall  I  write  ? 
The  Princess  Griselda  is  very  sweet  and  sensible,  and 
she  is  so  devoted  to  my  brother  that,  if  only  I  had  her 
here  and  could  explain  all,  I  am  sure  she  would  do  any- 
thing and  everything  for  us.  But  who  can  foretell  what 
might  be  the  effect  upon  her  of  a  brusque  revelation  by 
letter  ?  She  might  not  be  able  to  control  her  agitation ; 
her  father,  the  Duke,  might  insist  upon  explanations, 
and  then  my  brother's  secret  might  ooze  out,  and  it 
must  not  do  so.     At  all  hazards  we  must  keep  it.' 

Von  Dalhoff  was  very  puzzled.  '  Cannot  you  invent 
some  pretext,'  he  suggested,  '  for  asking  the  Princess  to 
visit  you  here  for  a  day  or  two  ?  You  would  like  to  have 
her  further  advice  about  the  furnishing  of  her  apart- 


INCONSISTENCY  127 

ments,  or  you  think  that  it  would  amuse  her  to  come 
over  incognito,  and  to. see  the  preparations  that  are  being 
made  for  her  reception.' 

'I  must  discover  some  excuse,'  returned  the  Princess, 
1  though  I  hate  to  be  obliged  to  deceive  her,  even  for 
a  moment.  And  when  she  comes,  what  can  be  done? 
We  shall  surmount  one  difficulty  only  to  find  a  loftier 
one  in  front  of  us.' 

'  Let  us  first  get  the  Princess  here,'  said  Von  Dalhoff. 

'  I  know  what  must  happen,'  cried  the  Princess 
Nannette  suddenly.  '  She  must  exercise  her  woman's 
privilege  of  altering  her  mind.  Here  in  Lusatia,  thank 
Heaven !  not  even  princes  and  princesses  are  expected 
to  give  their  hands  when  they  cannot  give  their  hearts. 
My  dear  brother's  engagement  has  been  so  popular 
because  it  has  been  an  affair  of  love  and  not  a  mere 
matter  of  policy.  The  Princess  Griselda  must  now  alter 
her  mind.' 

'  I  am  afraid,'  ventured  Von  Dalhoff,  '  that  if  she  were 
to  do  so,  it  would  be  injurious  both  to  the  Princess  and 
to  the  Emperor.  We  Lusatians  all  attach  a  sacred 
importance  to  the  formal  betrothal.  People  are  not 
supposed  to  betroth  themselves  until  they  have  deliber- 
ately made  their  minds  up.  If,  therefore,  the  engage- 
ment were  now  to  be  broken  off,  the  characters  of  both 
parties  would  suffer.  The  Princess  would  be  suspected 
of  frivolity — a  reproach  which  we  must  not  for  an 
instant  permit  to  be  cast  upon  the  future  Empress  ;  the 
Emperor  might  justly  be  considered  to  have  received  a 
deadly  insult,  which  he  must  have  done  something  to 


128  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

provoke.  Moreover,  any  such  rupture  as  we  imagine 
is  antecedently  improbable.  The  whole  country  knows 
how  deep  and  sincere  are  the  feelings  which  bind 
together  the  Emperor  and  the  Princess  of  Stormarn.' 

The  Princess  looked  disappointed. 

'  All  that  is  quite  true,'  she  admitted ;  '  but  what  is  to 
be  done?  You  can't  marry  the  Princess  Griselda,  so 
much  is  certain  ;  yet,  on  the  twentieth,  either  there  must 
be  a  wedding  or  all  the  world  must  have  before  it  good 
reasons  why  the  wedding  is  not  to  be  celebrated.  We 
might  persuade  the  Princess  to  feign  illness ;  but  she 
cannot  feign  illness  for  an  indefinite  period.  Besides, 
it  would  subject  her  to  too  much  restraint  and  dis- 
comfort.' 

'  Perhaps  the  Princess  Griselda  herself  can  suggest  a 
good  excuse,'  said  Von  Dalhoff.  '  She  will  assuredly 
help  us  if  she  can.' 

'  Well,'  replied  the  Princess,  '  we  can  but  get  her  here 
and  see.  I  will  telegraph  and  write  at  once,  and  tell 
her  that  come  she  must.  In  the  meantime,  perhaps  we 
shall  think  of  something.' 

There  was  in  the  Princess  Nannette's  letter  a  vague 
undertone  of  reticence  and  mystery  which,  though  it 
did  not  actually  alarm  the  Princess  Griselda,  excited  her 
curiosity  and  determined  her,  if  she  could,  to  go  to 
Sandburg  with  the  least  possible  delay.  ' 

When  young  ladies — be  they  princesses  or  commoners 
—who  are  only  daughters  of  fond  and  devoted  fathers, 
and  who  are  on  the  eve  of  leaving  home  to  get  married, 
choose  to  adopt  sudden  whims,  those  whims,  being  in 


INCONSISTENCY  12g 

themselves  harmless,  are  very  likely  to  be  gratified ;  and 
when  the  Princess  informed  her  father  of  her  desire  to 
pay  a  two  days'  incognito  visit  to  the  Princess  Nannette 
in  order  to  talk  over  and  settle  urgent  private  affairs, 
she  had  little  difficulty  in  persuading  him  to  be  her 
escort  to  Sandburg. 

Nor  was  the  Duke,  for  his  own  part,  indisposed  to  see 
his  future  son-in-law  once  more  before  the  wedding. 
Indeed,  he  was  glad  of  a  decent  excuse  ;  for,  ever  since 
the  announcement  of  the  betrothal,  he  had  privately 
cherished  a  hope  that  the  brilliant  marriage  of  his 
daughter  might,  in  an  innocent  way,  be  turned  to  his 
own  advantage. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  Duke  of  Stormarn 
was,  in  any  sense  of  the  words,  a  mercenary  father. 
On  the  contrary,  he  was  desirous,  above  all  things,  to 
see  his  daughter  happy ;  and  to  render  her  happy  he 
would  have  gladly  made  many  personal  sacrifices.  But 
he  also  had  at  heart  the  welfare  and  glory  of  his  house. 
Stormarn,  it  must  be  explained,  was  one  of  several 
principalities  and  duchies  which,  though  once  inde- 
pendent, had,  under  the  Emperor's  father  and  grand- 
father, been  absorbed  by  Euhland.  Some  had  been 
absorbed  by  arrangement,  others  as  the  result  of  war  ; 
for  the  great  and  powerful  Lusatian  Empire  had  not 
been  built  up  without  struggle  and  bloodshed  at  home 
as  well  as  abroad.  Stormarn  was  one  of  those  which 
had  been  absorbed  as  the  result  of  war.  The  gallant 
Stormarners,  not  excepting  their  Duke,  had  long  since 
learnt  to  congratulate  themselves  upon   the  fact  that 

9 


130  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

instead  of  being,  as  they  once  were,  a  weak  people, 
having  only  their  own  limited  resources  to  trust  to,  they 
had  behind  them  the  whole  giant  strength  of  Lusatia, 
and  were  no  longer  at  the  mercy  of  third-rate  Powers. 
They  had  forgiven  Piuhland  for  having  forcibly  made 
them  Lusatians  ;  but  they  had  not  forgiven  Euhland 
for  having  at  the  same  time  destroyed  their  autonomy 
and  mediatized  their  Duke.  They  looked  around  them, 
and  among  the  States  forming  the  Lusatian  Empire 
they  saw  several  which,  though  smaller,  poorer,  and  less 
populous  than  Stormarn,  still  preserved  their  autonomy. 
There  was,  for  example,  the  little  Duchy  of  Zwieback — a 
State  which  an  able-bodied  man  could  walk  round  in 
a  day,  and  which  had  a  total  population  of  less  than  fifty 
thousand  souls*  Yet  the  Duke  of  Zwieback  kept  his 
court  and  his  prime  minister,  and  had  foreign  repre- 
sentatives accredited  to  him ;  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Zwieback  supported  a  Diet,  with  ministerial  and  opposi- 
tion parties  all  complete.  Moreover,  although  Zwieback 
did  not  maintain  a  separate  army,  it  did  maintain  the 
9th  battalion  of  the  Lusatian  Jiigers,  and  the  officers 
and  men  who  formed  this  gallant  corps  wore  the 
Zwieback  cockade  of  purple,  gold  and  green,  and  the 
distinctive  Zwieback  sword  knots  of  green  and  gold. 
Nay,  they  had  their  own  buttons,  bearing  the  arms  of 
the  Duke.  The  men  supplied  by  Stormarn  were  seven 
or  eight  times  as  numerous,  but  they  wore  the  cockades 
and  colours  of  the  empire,  and  were  dispersed  through- 
out the  Lusatian  army,  or  at  least  throughout  several 
army  corps. 


INCONSISTENCY  131 

The  Duke  of  Stormarn  and  his  former  subjects  were 
of  opinion  that,  since  Stormarn  had  loyally  accepted 
the  inevitable,  and  since  the  good  disposition  of  the 
Stormarners  was  above  suspicion,  the  nationality  of 
Stormarn  ought  to  be  revived,  and  the  State  ought  to 
be  raised  at  least  to  a  dignity  equal  with  that  enjoyed 
by  Zwieback ;  and  they  considered  that  the  approaching 
marriage  of  the  Emperor  to  the  Duke's  only  daughter 
afforded  a  favourable  opportunity  for  the  putting  forward 
of  their  aspirations. 

This  idea  had  not  occurred  to  them  at  first ;  and  not 
until  after  the  engagement  had  been  formally  announced 
did  they  decide  that  it  was  their  duty  to  endeavour  to 
make  political  capital  out  of  it.  The  father-in-law  of 
the  Emperor  ought  not,  they  contended,  to  be  a  Duke 
only  in  name,  seeing  that  but  a  few  years  before  he  had 
been  a  Duke  regnant,  and  that  there  were  no  weighty 
reasons  against  the  restoration  to  him  of  his  Duchy. 
The  Stormarners,  therefore,  presented  to  the  Duke  a 
memorial  on  the  subject,  and  begged  him  to  lay  it 
before  the  Emperor ;  and  the  Duke  himself,  though  a 
little  nervous  and  hesitating,  agreed  with  the  honest 
Stormarners  that  to  reign  once  more  was  the  very  thing 
which  would  suit  him.  His  nervousness  and  hesitation 
had,  nevertheless,  caused  him  to  delay  bringing  the 
memorial  to  the  Emperor's  attention ;  and  he  had 
already  begun  to  feel  a  little  ashamed  of  his  lack  of 
decision,  when  his  daughter's  desire  to  go  to  Sandburg 
provided  him  with  an  excuse  for  seeing  his  destined 
son-in-law  at  a  moment  when,  in  all  probability,  the 


132  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

latter  would  be  particularly  inclined  to  be  gracious  to 
him. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  eleventh,  therefore,  the  Duke 
and  his  daughter,  travelling  incognito,  took  train  for 
Sandburg. 

The  Duke  had  not  previously  spoken  to  the  Princess 
Griselda  upon  the  subject,  and,  with  a  view  to  winning 
her  over  as  his  ally,  he  confided  his  secret  to  her  on  the 
journey. 

'  I  am  anxious,  my  dear,'  he  said,  '  to  seize  this  oppor- 
tunity in  order  to  crave  a  little  favour  from  your  future 
husband.  It  will  cost  him  nothing.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  will  delight  our  good  Stormarners ;  it  will  give  dignity 
to  you  (not  that  you  lack  dignity,  my  dear) ;  and — well, 
I  will  not  conceal  from  you  that  it  will  be  highly  gratify- 
ing to  me.'  And  with  this  preamble  he  produced  the 
memorial,  and  explained  exactly  what  it  aimed  at. 
'You  must  help  me,  my  dear,'  he  added.  'I  know  that 
young  lovers  are  very  susceptible  to  wheedling.  It  is  a 
harmless  request,  and  a  judicious  word  or  two  from  you 
will  act  like  a  charm.' 

'I  am  afraid,  father,'  she  replied,  'that  I  do  not 
sufficiently  understand  all  the  bearings  of  such  affairs 
as  this.  Doubtless,  if  the  Emperor  should  think  it 
right,  he  will  do  as  he  is  desired  to  do ;  and,  doubtless, 
if  I  asked  a  favour  which  was  really  a  harmless  one,  he 
would  not  refuse  it.  But  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ought  to 
interfere  in  a  matter  of  this  sort.  You  know  how  glad 
I  should  be  to  feel  that  you  and  our  dear  Stormarners 
were  satisfied ;  but  if  I,  who  do  not  understand  politics, 


INCONSISTENCY  133 

were  to  prefer  the  request,  I  might,  on  the  one  hand, 
pain  the  Emperor  by  obliging  him  to  refuse  me,  or,  on 
the  other,  prejudice  the  Empire  by  securing  some- 
thing which  should  have  been  denied  me.  I  think, 
father,  that  you,  and  you  alone,  ought  to  speak  to  the 
Emperor.' 

1  Very  well,  my  dear,'  said  the  Duke,  who,  though  a 
little  hurt,  gave  way,  as  he  alwaj's  did,  to  the  Princess. 
'  I  dare  say  you  know  best.  But  if  occasion  should 
offer,  and  if  you  find  that  you  can  do  us  any  good, 
always  remember  your  fatherland.' 

And  he  changed  the  subject,  confident  that  nothing 
which  he  might  say  would  cause  his  daughter  to 
swerve  from  the  path  in  which  she  believed  her  duty 
to  lie. 

Von  Dalhoff  could  not  make  up  his  mind  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  meet  the  Princess  Griselda  at  the  station. 
He  had  only  once  seen  her ;  he  had  never  heard  her 
speak ;  and  he  had  no  precedent  to  guide  him  as  to  the 
manner  in  which,  as  Emperor,  he  ought  to  receive  his 
betrothed  on  a  railway  platform.  He  did  not  know 
whether,  if  he  met  the  Princess,  she  would  expect  him 
merely  to  shake  hands  with  her  or  to  kiss  her ;  and  he 
had  no  desire,  in  view  of  the  explanations  that  were  to 
be  subsequently  given,  to  put  the  Princess  to  confusion. 
He  contrived,  therefore,  to  be  a  few  miles  out  of  Sand- 
burg at  the  moment  when  the  train  arrived,  and  the 
Princess  Nannette  met  it,  and  made  the  necessary 
apologies  for  his  absence. 

'  And  how  is  the  Emperor  ?'  asked  the  Duke,  as  the 


134  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

party  was  being  driven  to  the  Palace,  '"ft hat  an  extra- 
ordinary escape  he  appears  to  have  had !  It  is  really 
most  romantic !' 

'  I  hope  that  when  you  see  him  you  will  find  him  none 
the  worse,'  replied  the  Princess  Nannette  guardedly. 
'  He,  no  doubt,  will  tell  you  the  story.  It  has  caused 
me  great  anxiety,  I  assure  you.  I  don't  like  romances 
of  this  sort.' 

The  Duke,  who  was  one  of  the  most  nervous  and 
susceptible  people  in  existence,  imagined  that  his  refer- 
ence to  so  serious  an  episode  as  a  romantic  adventure 
had  given  offence,  and  he  was  thenceforward  silent  until 
the  carriage  stopped.  At  the  Palace  he  was  promptly 
shown  to  his  apartments,  and  the  two  Princesses  went 
off  together  to  the  Princess  Nannette's  rooms. 

The  first  impulse  of  the  two  girls  when  they  were 
alone  was  to  warmly  embrace  one  another.  But  they 
were  influenced  by  very  different  feelings.  The  Princess 
Griselda  was  happy  and  light-hearted ;  the  Princess 
Nannette  was  wretched,  and,  as  she  kissed  her  future 
sister-in-law,  she  burst  into  tears,  and  then  clung  to 
her  and  sobbed  more  bitterly  than  she  had  ever  sobbed 
before. 

'  Why,  Nan,  what  is  the  matter  ?'  asked  the  Princess 
Griselda  in  astonishment. 

'  Oh,  Grisel,  I  have  had  to  pretend,  and  I  have  had  to 
be  brave  for  his  sake !  But  it  is  not  true  that  he  has 
escaped.' 

'  What !'  exclaimed  the  Princess  of  Stormarn,  sobered 
in  an  instant.     '  What  are  you  saying,  Nan  ?' 


INCONSISTENCY  135 

1  It  is  terrible  !  They  have  carried  him  off,  and  he  is 
now  far  away  at  sea  !  We  had  to  deceive  you  until  we 
could  get  you  here.  We  dare  not  let  the  truth  be 
known,  for  the  consequences  might  be  frightful ! 
Besides,  it  is  his  wish.  Oh,  Grisel,  I  am  so  sorry 
for  you !' 

'  What  are  you  saying,  Nan  ?'  repeated  the  Princess 
Griselda,  whose  face  was  flushed,  and  into  whose  eyes 
the  tears  were  starting.  '  Tell  me,  tell  me  all !  It  is 
incredible  !' 

The  Princess  Nannette  told  the  whole  story  as  fully 
and  as  consecutively  as  her  emotion  would  permit; 
and  then  delivered  her  brother's  letter,  which  the 
Princess  of  Stormarn  kissed  and  wept  over  and  kissed 
again. 

'And  now,  my  poor  Grisel,  you  understand  every- 
thing,' said  the  Princess  of  Euhland.  'You  know  what 
it  must  have  cost  me  to  bear  up,  and  to  help  the  Baron, 
and  what  it  must  have  cost  me  to  deceive  you,  even  for 
a  day.  It  is  such  a  relief  to  see  you  here,  and  to  be 
able  to  have  a  good  cry.  But  crying  will  not  benefit  us ; 
and  we  are  all  placed  in  a  position  of  such  fearful  re- 
sponsibility that  I  am  absolutely  ashamed  when  I  think 
for  a  moment  of  personal  matters.  We  must  trust  in 
God,  dear ;  and  in  the  meantime  we  must  do  our  best. 
You,  too,  will  help,  my  poor  Grisel ;  I  know  you  will, 
for  his  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  Lusatia,  which  he 
loves  so  much.' 

1  But  what  can  I  do  ?'  asked  the  Princess  of  Stormarn 
bitterly.     '  I  am  in  the  way  ;  I  see  that.' 


136  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'Hush!'  said  the  Princess  Nannette.  'How  can  his 
betrothed  wife  be  in  the  way  ?  What  is  our  trouble  is 
your  trouble,  and  what  is  yours  is  ours.  Our  interests 
are  all  in  common.     We  must  act  together.' 

'  Yes,  dear,'  returned  the  Princess  Griselda  affection- 
ately. '  I  did  not  mean  to  say  an  unkind  word,  or  to 
suggest  that  my  trouble  is  half  as  important  as  his,  or 
as  yours.  But  I  meant  that  the  wedding  is  in  the  way. 
Must  it  go  forth  that  he,  who  loves  me  and  of  whom  I 
am  so  proud,  has  cast  me  off  ?  Oh,  Nan !  must  people 
be  told  that  ?  I  know  that  the  secret  must  be  kept  !  I 
know  that  some  excuse  must  be  found  for  breaking 
off ' 


'  No,  no,  dear  !'  interrupted  the  Princess  Nannette. 
'  A  thousand  times  no  !  Not  for  breaking  off !  If  that 
were  the  alternative,  I  would  not  for  an  instant  enter- 
tain it,  but  would  at  once  myself  proclaim  the  truth  and 
risk  all  consequences.  I  could  not  have  my  brother  so 
dishonoured.  But  some  excuse  must  be  found  for  post- 
poning the  wedding.' 

'  If  I  were  to  go  out  of  my  mind,'  said  the  Princess 
Griselda,  '  it  would  be  easy.  And,  indeed,  the  news  is 
almost  bad  enough  to  drive  me  out  of  my  mind.  But 
forgive  me,  dear  !  I  am  selfish.  Yes,  we  must  both 
think  of  him  first,  and  of  Lusatia.' 

'  And  you  can  invent  some  excuse  for  the  postpone- 
ment of  the  wedding,  dear ;  I  am  sure  you  can,'  urged 
the  Princess  of  Ruhland  ;  '  some  excuse  which  may, 
nevertheless,  permit  you  to  be  married  as  soon  as  he 
comes  back.' 


INCONSISTENCY  137 

The  Princess  Griselda  dried  her  eyes  and  walked  to 
the  window. 

'  My  father,'  she  said,  after  a  pause,  '  came  primed 
to-day  with  a  memorial  which  he  has  been  asked  by  the 
Stormarners  to  lay  before  the  Emperor.  They  want 
him  to  reign  again.' 

'"Why,  Grisel,'  broke  in  the  Princess  of  Euhland,  '  do 
you  know  that  that  is  the  very  thing  which  the  Emperor 
had  determined  upon  ?  The  Duchy  was  to  be  restored  on 
your  wedding-day.     But  I  imagined  that  it  was  a  secret.' 

'  I  thought  that  an  .excuse  might  be  created  out  of 
the  Emperor's  refusal  to  entertain  the  idea,'  said  the 
Princess  of  Stormarn ;  '  but,  of  course,  if  the  matter 
has  been  already  decided ' 

I  Wait !'  cried  the  Princess  Nannette.  '  Surely  that 
offers  us  a  key  to  the  difficulty.  The  Emperor's  inten- 
tion has  not  been  made  public ;  but,  as  it  is  known  to 
us,  we  can,  perhaps,  utilize  it.  Your  father  will  speak 
on  the  subject  to  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff — or,  as  he 
believes,  to  the  Emperor?' 

I I  suppose  so.' 

'  Well,  of  course  Von  Dalhoff  will  not  commit  himself 
to  an  immediate  reply.  He  will  want  to  consult  with 
the  ministers,  and  perhaps  with  me.  I  will  make  him 
return  a  qualified  refusal.  Then,  knowing  what  you  do, 
you  can  assure  your  father  that  you  are  convinced  of 
obtaining  for  him  a  satisfactory  answer ;  and  you  can 
say  that,  unless  and  until  you  get  that  satisfactory 
answer,  you  will  postpone  the  marriage.' 

1  But,'  objected  the  Princess  Griselda,  *  I  have  already 


138  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

told  my  father  that  I  cannot  undertake  to  attempt  to 
influence  the  Emperor  concerning  a  political  matter 
like  this.' 

'  No  matter,  Grisel.  A  woman  may  change  her  mind. 
You  are  going  to  become  a  very  patriotic  Stormarner. 
You  are  going  to  champion  the  restoration  of  the  Duchy. 
I  shall  aid  and  abet  you.  I  shall  think  it  a  cruel  thing 
to  withhold  the  restoration.  We  must  not  make  a  public 
grievance  of  the  matter,  for  it  will  not  do  to  foment 
popular  dissatisfaction ;  but  it  can  be  announced  that  the 
celebration  of  the  wedding  is  delayed  pending  the  settle- 
ment of  certain  arrangements  concerning  the  future 
status  of  your  father.  We  must  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunity,  for  I  see  no  other  excuse ;  and  this  one  will 
enable  us,  without  explaining  things  to  him,  to  satisfy 
your  father  as  to  the  postponement.' 

1 1  am  but  a  poor  actress,  Nan,'  said  the  Princess  of 
Stormarn,  '  and  I  hate  deception  and  subterfuge  of  all 
kinds  ;  but,  if  it  be  necessary,  I  will  do  what  I  can.' 

'  I  think  it  is  necessary,  Grisel.  I,  too,  hate  the  daily 
deception  to  which  I  am  now  reduced.  So  also,  I  am 
sure,  does  the  Baron,  who  is  really  the  most  devoted  and 
self-sacrificing  servant  whom  any  sovereign  could  desire. 
But  what  else  can  we  do  ?  If  it  were  known  that  the 
Emperor  is  where  he  is,  who  can  say  what  would 
happen?  The  Emperor  holds  Europe  steady  !  I  know 
it ;  I  every  hour  have  proofs  of  it.  Tell  the  world  that 
my  brother  has  no  longer  the  power  to  enforce  his 
policy — confess  that  he  has  vanished,  and  that  the 
Emperor's  uniform  hides  only  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff— 


INCONSISTENCY  139 

and,  even  though  Von  Dalhoff  should  possess  the  ability 
of  a  Napoleon  or  of  a  Frederick,  he  would  not  be  able 
to  avert  a  catastrophe.  The  Emperor  knows  it,  I  know 
it,  Yon  Dalhoff  knows  it.  It  was  an  Englishman  who 
defined  an  ambassador  as  "  one  sent  to  lie  abroad  for 
the  benefit  of  his  country."  It  is  our  mission  to  lie  at 
home  for  the  benefit  of  Europe  !  And  now,  Grisel  dear, 
you  must  see  our  Baron.  It  will  be,  I  am  afraid,  another 
shock  to  you,  for  he  is  so  like  the  Emperor  that  you  will 
scarcely  detect  the  difference.  Kecollect,  moreover,  that 
you  must  treat  him  as  the  Emperor,  especially  in  your 
father's  presence.  You  will  find  him  very  kind,  sympa- 
thetic and  considerate.' 

'  I  hope  I  shan't  be  so  foolish  as  to  cry  again,'  said  the 
Princess  of  Stormarn,  as,  having  hastily  looked  at  her 
pretty  face  in  the  glass,  she  followed  the  Princess 
Nannette  out  into  the  corridor  and  along  it  to  the 
Emperor's  library,  whither  Yon  Dalhoff,  who  had  been 
absent  from  Sandburg  only  just  long  enough  to  excuse 
his  non-appearance  at  the  station,  had  by  this  time 
returned. 

He  was  fortunately  alone,  for  the  Duke  had  not  yet 
joined  him ;  but  the  introduction  had  barely  been 
effected,  and  the  Princess  Griselda  had  not  accustomed 
herself  to  the  strangeness  of  the  situation,  when  her 
father  entered  the  room,  and,  with  the  fatherly  manner 
which  he  already  affected,  advanced  to  greet  and 
embrace  the  man  whom  he  supposed  to  be  his  future 
son-in-law. 

1  Well,  my  dear  Carl,  how  goes  it  ?'   he  said.     •  You 


i4o  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

see  that  I  have  been  taking  good  care  of  our  Grisel  for 
you.  She  is  looking  very  well,  is  she  not  ? — perhaps  a 
little  pale,  for  the  moment,  after  the  fatigue  of  the 
journey,  or  because  of  the  pleasant  excitement  of  the 
meeting.     Who  can  say  ?' 

'  The  Princess,  your  Highness,  is  always  beautiful,' 
replied  Yon  Dalhoff  gallantly ;  but,  feeling  that  the 
Princess  was  rather  a  troublesome  subject,  he  promptly 
turned  the  conversation  into  other  channels. 

The  Duke,  whose  memorial  was  in  his  pocket,  where  it 
burnt  him  sadly,  did  not  care  what  he  talked  about,  so 
long  as  there  was  a  chance  that  one  of  the  subjects 
would  insensibly  lead  up  to  the  matter  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Duchy ;  but  as  the  weather,  the  recent 
manoeuvres,  the  Pliilistia  affair  (concerning  which  Von 
Dalhoff  was  very  reticent),  the  new  Lusatian  rifle  and 
foreign  policy,  did  not  conduct  the  talk  in  the  desired 
direction,  the  Duke  at  last  plucked  up  all  the  courage  he 
possessed,  and,  taking  his  host  by  the  buttonhole,  drew 
him  to  a  window. 

'I  want,'  he  said  with  hesitation,  'to  talk  to  you 
about  an  affair — a  very  small  affair,  as  some  may  think 
it — which  has  of  late,  and  especially  since  Griaelda's 
happy  engagement,  attracted  the  attention  of  my  good 
neighbours  in  Stormarn.  I  need  scarcely  recall  to  you 
the  circumstances,  sad  in  themselves,  yet  most  fortunate 
in  their  results,  of  the  absorption  of  the  ancient  Duchy. 
We  in  Stormarn  forget  those  days  in  the  present 
happiness  of  feeling  that  we  are  Lusatians.  At  the 
same   time,   some   among   us   are  beginning — with    all 


INCONSISTENCY  141 

loyalty,  as  I  need  hardly  assure  you,  to  the  Empire — to 
hope  that  in  the  future,  perhaps  in  the  near  future, 
Stormarn,  while  not  ceasing  to  be  less  Lusatian  than  it 
now  is  in  interests  and  aspirations,  may  resume  a 
portion  of  its  old  dignity,  and  may,  in  fact,  become  again 
a  Duchy  of  the  Empire — as,  for  example,  Zwieback  is — 
with  my  unworthy  self  in  the  position  of  its  head.' 

'  I'm  afraid,  your  Highness,'  said  Von  Dalhoff,  '  that 
this  is  too  large  a  question  to  be  immediately  decided.' 

'  Of  course,  my  dear  Carl,  of  course,'  assented  the 
pliant  Duke.  '  You  couldn't  think  of  saying  Yes  or  No 
upon  the  spur  of  the  moment  to  such  a  proposition.  I 
don't  bring  it  forward  for  my  own  sake  or  upon  my  own 
initiative,  you  must  understand.  The  good  people  in 
my  part  of  the  world  have  been  pressing  me  to  mention 
it,  and  have,  in  point  of  fact,  humbly  put  forward  their 
hopes  in  this  memorial '  (he  drew  it  from  his  pocket) 
'  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  you  will  find  leisure  to  peruse. 
Really,  I  am  ashamed  of  my  remissness,  for  you  will 
perceive  that  the  memorial  was  drawn  up  nearly  two 
months  ago.  But  the  truth  is  that  1  was  very  unwilling 
to  trouble  you.  For  myself,  I  should  have  been  content 
to  let  things  remain  as  they  are,  quite  content.  My 
good  neighbours,  however,  are  of  another  opinion.  So, 
to  please  them,  you  understand,  entirely  to  please  them, 
I  consented  to  lay  the  affair  before  you.' 

'  For  the  present,  your  Highness,'  said  Von  Dalhoff, 
'  I  can  only  promise  that  due  consideration  shall  be 
given  to  the  matter.' 

1 1  am  sure  it  will,  my  dear  Carl ;  I  am  sure  it  will,' 


142  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

echoed  the  Duke,  who  felt  very  happy  that  he  had  thus 
relieved  himself  of  a  disagreeable  business. 

A  few  hours  later  the  Duke  and  his  daughter  found 
themselves  alone  together. 

'  "Well,  father,'  asked  the  Princess,  'what  is  the  answer 
to  the  memorial  ?' 

'  There  is  no  answer  as  yet,'  replied  the  Duke ;  '  and 
I'm  not  at  all  sure,  from  the  Emperor's  manner,  that 
he  thinks  favourably  of  the  idea.  If  he  should  fail  to 
consent,  however,  we  in  Stormarn  shall  be  no  worse  off 
than  we  are ;  and,  in  truth,  we  have  very  little  to  com- 
plain of.' 

'  "Why,  father,'  said  the  Princess,  who  proved  a  much 
better  actress  than  she  had  suspected,  '  only  this  morn- 
ing you  were  quite  hot  on  the  subject !  I  have  since 
been  thinking  about  it.  I  do  not  regard  it  as  lightly  as 
you  now  seem  to.  There  appears  to  be  nothing  against 
the  project.  Only  press  for  it,  and  I  feel  sure  that  you 
will  get  what  you  wish.  Everyone  admits  that  the 
Duchy  can,  without  the  slightest  prejudice,  be  restored. 
Nannette  herself  says  so.' 

'  Does  she,  indeed  ?'  exclaimed  the  Duke.  '  But  is  it 
worth  while  to  press  the  matter  seriously  ?' 

'  Worth  while,  father  ?  I  should  think  it  is.  Am  I 
more  of  a  Stormarner  than  you?  Have  I  as  much 
interest  in  pressing  the  matter  as  you  have  ?  Yet  even 
I  intend  to  press  it — ay,  and  to  win  the  concession.  I 
promise  you  that  there  will  be  no  wedding  on  the 
twentieth  unless  the  business  be  first  satisfactorily 
settled.' 


INCONSISTENCY  143 

'Good  heavens,  my  dear!'  cried  the  astonished  Duke. 
'  What  are  you  ahout  to  risk  ?  Your  promised  position  ? 
Your  magnificent  future?  My  dear  girl,  this  is  the 
height  of  rashness.  I  beg  of  you  not  to  dream  of  taking 
such  a  decided  step.' 

'  I  certainly  shall  take  it.  Indeed,  I  have  taken  it ; 
for  I  have  myself  mentioned  the  subject,  and  my 
ultimatum  is  known.' 

'You  are  mad,  Griselda!  I  shall  tell  the  Emperor 
that  the  matter  is  quite  unimportant,  and  that  I  beg  him 
not  to  give  it  any  further  thought.' 

'It  will  make  no  difference  to  me,  my  dear  father. 
The  Duchy  must  be  restored  before  I  marry  the 
Emperor.' 

The  Duke  wrung  his  hands,  and  hurried  away  to  take 
counsel  with  the  Princess  Nannette,  who,  to  his  horror, 
supported  the  Princess  Griselda.  He  had  not  courage 
to  reopen  the  discussion  with  Von  Dalhoff;  and  next 
day,  in  a  very  miserable  frame  of  mind,  he  returned 
with  his  daughter  to  Stormarn. 

On  the  following  morning,  at  the  head  of  the  '  Court 
Intelligence '  in  all  the  papers  of  the  empire,  there 
appeared  in  large  type  the  astonishing  news  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  non-completion  of  certain  family  and 
political  arrangements  between  his  Imperial  and  Ptoyal 
Majesty,  the  Emperor,  and  his  Highness  the  Duke  of 
Stormarn,  the  projected  marriage  of  the  Emperor  with 
her  Highness  the  Princess  Griselda  of  Stormarn  would 
not  take  place  until  a  date  later  than  the  one  which  had 
been  originally  fixed  upon.     And  all  Lusatia  wondered. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

THE  TKIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGG9. 

In  the  meantime  the  Philistia,  steaming  at  easy  speed, 
was  leaving  Lusatia  behind  her  at  the  rate  of  fifteen 
knots  an  hour.  Her  course  lay  across  the  North  Sea, 
between  the  Shetlands  and  the  Orkneys,  and  then  south- 
wards past  the  Canaries  and  Cape  Verds,  neither  of 
which  clusters  was,  however,  sighted.  Getting  into  the 
trades,  she  put  out  her  fires,  and  made  more  leisurely 
progress  under  sail.  On  November  16th,  about  six  weeks 
after  she  had  left  Friedenhaven,  she  was  in  the  latitude 
of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  received  her  first  practical  re- 
minder that  she  had  become  an  Ishmaelite  of  the  ocean, 
and  that  every  man's  hand  was  against  her. 

The  news  of  the  kidnapping  of  Count  Stark,  Admiral 
Spott  and  the  rest  of  the  Emperor's  suite  had,  as  has 
been  already  mentioned,  been  communicated  to  the 
governments  of  the  principal  Powers,  several  of  which 
undertook  to  co-operate  with  a  view  to  the  capture  of 
the  pirate.  Of  these  powers  Great  Britain  was  naturally 
one.  The  British  Admiralty  had  been  confidentially 
informed  that  sooner  or  later  the  Philistia  would  pro- 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  145 

ceed  to  Sala-y-Gomez,  and  although  it  could  not,  of 
course,  be  foreseen  whether  she  would  go  thither  by  way 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  or  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  the 
precaution  was  taken  of  ordering  both  routes  to  be  care- 
fully watched. 

Colonel  Snaggs,  who  had  long  since  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  Hoodlum's  assault,  had  anticipated  that 
some  such  orders  would  probably  be  given,  and  having 
provided  himself  beforehand  with  lists  of  all  the  men- 
of-war  on  the  various  stations,  he  had  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  by  choosing  the  Horn  route  he  would 
expose  himself  less  than  by  choosing  the  other.  The 
Philistia  was,  therefore,  on  her  way  to  Cape  Horn,  and 
on  November  lGth,  with  fires  once  more  lighted,  but 
with  steam  only  in  two  boilers,  was  bowling  comfortably 
along  at  a  speed  not  exceeding  nine  knots,  when  out  of 
a  bank  of  mist  that  lay  on  her  starboard  beam  at  a 
distance  of  perhaps  three  miles,  came  her  Britannic 
Majesty's  ship  Tourmaline. 

The  Towrmaline  had  received  telegraphic  instructions 
a  fortnight  earlier,  while  lying  at  Bahia,  and  had  since 
been  cruising  in  the  track  of  ships,  and  looking  out 
unceasingly  for  the  ex-Cunarder.  There  must,  there- 
fore, have  been  some  pleasurable  excitement  in  the  man- 
of-war  when,  after  all  hope  of  success  had  apparently 
departed,  the  quarry  was  thus  suddenly  sighted.  But 
sighting  the  quarry  was  one  thing,  and  catching  it  was, 
for  the  unfortunate  Tourmaline,  another  and  a  very 
different  one.  It  is  true  that,  when  sighted,  the 
Philistia  had  steam  for  only  nine  knots,  but  it  is  true 

10 


146  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

also  that  the  Tourmaline,  an  old  cruiser  which  had 
survived  its  usefulness,  was  at  the  time  quite  incapable, 
in  any  circumstances,  of  doing  more  than  ten  and  a 
half.  Had  the  British  on  that  day  been  represented  by 
a  modern  ship,  the  piratical  career  of  the  Philistia 
would  have  thereupon  ended.  Even  as  things  were  the 
ex-Cunarder  had  a  narrow  escape,  for,  although  she  was 
at  once  headed  away  from  the  cruiser,  and  additional 
furnaces  were  lighted  up,  the  Tourmaline  steadily  gamed 
on  her,  and  before  an  hour  had  elapsed  was  well 
within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  chase,  and  might,  with 
her  five-inch  and  six-inch  guns,  had  she  chosen,  have 
damaged  if  not  sunk  the  latter.  But  the  English 
captain,  hopeful  of  getting  alongside  the  Philistia  ere 
she  could  raise  more  steam,  and  fearful  of  hitting  the 
Lusatian  officers  whom  he  was  endeavouring  to  rescue, 
abstained,  until  it  was  too  late,  from  firing ;  and  only 
fired  at  last  when  the  Philistia,  having  by  great  exertions 
increased  her  speed,  was  already  quickty  drawing  away 
from  him.  A  couple  of  projectiles  flew  harmlessly  over 
the  steamer,  three  or  four  more  splashed  the  water 
astern  of  her,  and  then,  realizing  that  he  had  let  slip 
his  chance,  the  captain  of  the  Tourmaline  regretfully 
headed  his  ship  for  liio,  whence,  two  days  later,  he 
despatched  by  telegraph  an  account  of  his  proceedings. 

Since  his  abduction  the  Emperor,  up  to  the  moment 
of  the  Tourmaline'*  appearance,  had  been  very  moody 
and  depressed.  He  had  forbidden  his  suite  to  hold 
intercourse  with  their  captors,  had  studiously  repulsed 
the  almost  daily  advances  of  Snaggs,  had  been  barely 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  147 

civil  to  the  less  intrusive  and  more  respectful  Rawlins, 
and  had  lived  apart,  occupying  himself  chiefly  in 
reading,  and  in  writing  letters  which  he  vainly  hoped 
he  might  find  opportunities  for  sending  home. 

The  grateful  sight  of  the  white  ensign  at  the  Tour- 
maline's peak  aroused  both  him  and  his  companions  in 
misfortune.  They  stood  together  abaft  the  Philistia's 
wheelhouse  during  the  whole  of  the  short  chase :  they 
noted  with  joy  how  at  first  the  cruiser  gained  upon 
them ;  they  saw  with  sinking  hearts  how  at  length  she 
dropped  astern  again  ;  and  not  even  when  her  shells 
were  shrieking  over  their  heads  did  they  move.  Only 
when  she  was  once  more  hull  down  on  the  horizon  did 
they  go  back  to  their  cabins,  disappointed  and  dejected. 

But  the  Tourmaline's  attempt  was  not  without  a  good 
effect  upon  the  spirits  of  the  prisoners.  It  caused  them 
to  ask  themselves  whether,  if  they  were  again  chased, 
they  might  not  do  something  to  assist  their  would-be 
deliverers ;  and  the  discussion  of  this  question  not  only 
brightened  un  their  rusting  energies,  but  also  gave  new 
hopes  to  their  hearts.  The  captives  began  to  make 
plots,  and  the  Emperor's  outer  cabin  became  a  meeting- 
place  for  honest  conspirators.  One  officer  put  forward  a 
plan  by  means  of  which  one  or  both  of  the  ship's  screws 
might  be  opportunely  fouled  when  next  a  friendly  ship 
came  in  sight.  He  proposed  to  use  a  heavy  hawser  as 
an  entanglement.  Another  produced  a  project  for 
rendering  the  engines  useless  by  placing  an  iron  bolt,  or 
something  of  the  sort,  between  two  moving  parts  of  the 
machinery,  and  so  smashing  or  bending  them.     Another 


148  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

wished  to  cut  away  the  funnel-stays,  and  so  to  enable 
the  funnels  to  be  easily  rolled  out  of  the  ship  in  the  first 
spell  of  heavy  weather.  And  some  scheme  of  self-help 
would,  no  doubt,  have  been  sooner  or  later  adopted  had 
not  Snaggs  grown  suspicious,  and  set  men  to  act  as 
eavesdroppers. 

When  these  men  had  sufficiently  familiarized  him 
with  the  swelling  plots,  the  Colonel,  with  a  revolver  in 
each  hand,  and  followed  by  half  a  dozen  of  his  friends 
similarly  furnished,  burst  one  day  into  the  outer  cabin 
while  conversation  was  in  progress,  and  plainly  declared 
that  anyone  who  should  for  the  future,  either  by  word 
or  act,  seek  to  damage  the  ship,  impair  her  speed,  or 
frustrate  the  intentions  of  those  in  charge  of  her,  would 
be  promptly  and  without  hesitation  shot. 

'  It  is  all  the  same  to  me,'  he  added,  '  what  you  are  or 
who  you  are.  I  shall  shoot,  and  I  guess  you'll  have 
yourselves  to  thank  for  the  consequences ;  so  I  reckon 
you  had  best  study  Christian  resignation,  and  squarely 
make  up  your  minds  that  you're  not  goin'  to  get  out  of 
this  until  your  ransom's  paid,  every  cent  of  it.  I  don't 
want  unpleasantness,  gentlemen  ;  but,  you  bet,  where 
there's  any  of  this  sort  of  conspiring,  unpleasantness  is 
bound  to  follow.  I  just  won't  have  it,  and  that's  exactly 
the  size  of  it ;  so  now  you  know.' 

Colonel  Snaggs's  authority  was  for  the  moment  so 
palpably  in  the  ascendant,  and  any  further  attempts  at 
that  time  to  run  counter  to  it  were  so  obviously  destined  to 
end  in  nothing  but  disaster,  that  the  Emperor  prohibited 
his  suite  from    making   more  plots,  and   merely  gave 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  ug 

general  directions  that  his  officers  should  remain  on  the 
alert  to  take  advantage  of  such  opportunities  as  might 
present  themselves  for  seizing  or  disabling  the  vessel ; 
but  the  Americans,  warned  by  what  they  had  overheard, 
gave  their  captives  no  chances,  and  ere  many  weeks  had 
elapsed  the  Lusatians  reconciled  themselves  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  could  do  little  or  nothing  to  help 
themselves,  and  that  their  salvation  must  come  from 
without. 

Snaggs,  sanguine  though  he  was,  had  no  expectation 
that  the  ransom  would  be  immediately  deposited  on 
Sala-y-Goinez.  A  sum  of  gold  equal  to  five  millions 
sterling  could  not,  he  knew,  be  collected  in  a  moment, 
even  by  the  wealthiest  Power.  Moreover,  the  packing 
and  shipping  of  it  to  its  destination  would,  in  the  most 
favourable  circumstances,  occupy  a  considerable  time ; 
he  therefore  determined  not  to  proceed  directly  to  the 
rendezvous,  but  to  loiter  for  a  while  among  some  of  the 
less  known  islands  of  the  South  Pacific,  and  to  utilize 
his  opportunities  for  taking  on  board  fresh  meat  and 
vegetables,  and  for  economizing  his  coal. 

In  pursuance  of  this  policy,  he  steered,  after  rounding 
Cape  Horn,  for  the  island  of  Eapa,  or  Oparo,  a  little- 
visited  spot,  which  in  1867  would  have  been  made  a 
coaling  depot  for  the  Panama  and  New  Zealand  steamers, 
had  not  Captain  Quentin,  of  the  French  man-of-war 
Latouche-Treville,  taken  time  by  the  forelock,  and 
purchased  the  sovereignty  from  the  king  for  a  gallon  of 
rum  and  a  few  old  clothes.  Ever  since,  the  island  has 
been  nominally  a  French  protectorate,  and  has  had  a 


150  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

French  resident  billeted  on  it,  though  it  is  still 
practically  independent.  Once  thickly  inhabited,  it  is 
now  very  sparsely  peopled  by  a  fine  and  manly  race,  of 
the  New  Zealand  type,  and  it  possesses  bold  coasts,  and 
on  the  eastern  side  an  excellent  harbour,  called  Ahurei, 
which  is  most  romantically  situated.  Into  this  the 
Philistia  steamed,  and,  anchoring,  sent  two  men  ashore 
with  instructions  to  ascend  the  highest  of  the  many 
needle-shaped  peaks  with  which  the  island  abounds,  and 
to  promptly  signal  the  approach  of  any  suspicious  sail. 

There  are  few  harbours  in  the  world  more  snug  or 
more  beautiful.  On  three  sides  the  land  rises  like  the 
wall  of  an  amphitheatre,  and  on  the  fourth  side  there 
are  several  reefs  and  a  small  islet,  which  protect  the  bay 
from  the  almost  ceaseless  swell.  The  '  capital,'  a  small 
village,  lies  on  the  shore  close  at  hand  ;  native  canoes 
ply  freely  across  the  harbour,  save  when,  as  happens  at 
certain  seasons,  squalls  rush  down  from  the  ragged  hills 
of  the  interior.  The  climate  is  equable  and  delightful ; 
and  though  the  natives  are  poor,  they  appear  to  have 
sufficient  for  their  modest  wants,  and  to  be,  upon  the 
whole,  as  happy  as  people  who  live  in  a  terrestrial 
paradise  ought  to  be. 

Here  the  Philistia  lay  for  nearly  a  fortnight,  obtaining 
plenty  of  goats,  one  or  two  sheep,  and  as  much  taro-root 
and  vegetables  as  was  desired.  The  appearance  of  the 
ship  caused  much  excitement  in  the  mind  of  the  French 
resident,  who  put  off  in  his  boat  to  make  inquiries,  but 
was  not  allowed  on  board  ;  whereupon  he  demanded  a 
bill  of  health  and  port  dues,  and  became  not  only  very 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  1 51 

angry,  but  also  very  terrified,  when  no  notice  was  taken 
of  his  demands.  A  small  vessel  which  had  come  from 
Tahiti  to  fetch  a  cargo  of  goats  was  chartered  by  him, 
and  hastily  sent  back  empty  with  intelligence  that  a 
suspicious  American  ship  of  enormous  size  had  descended 
upon  the  place,  had  transgressed  all  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions, and,  no  doubt,  intended  to  annex  the  island,  in 
spite  of  France's  protectorate  over  it ;  and  the  resident, 
while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  a  gunboat,  had  sleepless 
nights,  and  trembled  for  the  safety  of  Kapa.  But  the 
Philistia  did  not  stay  for  the  French  gunboat,  for  one 
afternoon  the  signalmen  on  the  hill  reported  that  a 
strange  vessel,  probably  a  man-of-war,  was  approaching 
from  the  south-west;  and  an  hour  later  the  Philistia, 
with  her  men  on  board  again,  was  at  sea,  chased  by  the 
Lusatian  cruiser  Chricmhild,  a  vessel  which  was  a  much 
more  formidable  pursuer  than  the  Tourmaline  had  been, 
for  she  could  at  a  pinch  command  a  speed  of  nearly 
eighteen  knots. 

Snaggs,  who  succeeded  in  getting  only  about  three 
miles'  start,  led  the  cruiser  to  the  east-south-east  in  the 
direction  of  the  group  of  four  rocks  that  are  known  as 
the  Bass  Isles,  and  that  he  about  forty-five  miles  from 
Eapa.  The  Chricmhild  fired  as  soon  as  she  was  fairly 
within  range  of  the  pirate,  and  continued  to  do  so  so 
long  as  she  had  the  Philistia  i  .  sight ;  but  by  placing 
the  Bass  Isles  between  himself  and  the  man-of-war,  and 
by  keeping  them  there  until  nightfall,  the  Hon.  Barnwell 
managed  not  only  to  avoid  being  hit,  but  also  during  the 
darkness  to  make  his  escape  to  the  north-west,  and,  on 


152  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

the  next  day  but  one,  took  his  ship  within  the  encircling 
reef  of  the  Gainbier,  or  Manga  Eeva  Islands,  and 
anchored  under  Mount  Duff.  Entrance  to  this  lagoon 
has  to  be  effected  with  care ;  but  Snaggs's  captain,  who 
knew  the  Pacific  well,  went  in  with  a  boat  sounding 
ahead  of  him,  and,  when  inside,  had  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  he  could  not  easily  be  caught  there,  as 
there  was  more  than  one  channel  through  which  he 
could  get  out  again. 

At  Manga  Eeva  there  are  fewer  supplies  than  at  Eapa, 
and  the  natives  are  of  an  entirely  different  race,  being 
of  a  decidedly  Asiatic  type  of  countenance,  and  very 
fair  and  handsome  ;  but  the  people,  Eoman  Catholics 
of  some  degree  of  civilization,  are  all  hospitable.  The 
scenery  is  fine,  the  anchorage  is  good,  and  the  climate 
is  pleasant.  At  Manga  Eeva  the  Philistia  lay  very  com- 
fortably for  ten  days,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time 
Colonel  Snaggs  decided  to  steam  for  Sala-y-Gomez,  and 
to  satisfy  himself  as  to  whether  or  not  the  treasure  had 
been  landed  there. 

The  course  lay  nearly  due  east,  and  Pitcairn,  Elizabeth, 
Ducie,  and  Easter  Islands  were  all  sighted  on  the  way. 
Sala-y-Gomez  is  about  five  degrees  due  east  of  the  last- 
named,  and  it  is  little  more  than  a  heap  of  rugged  brown 
stones  cast  up  by  the  Pacific  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  or  thereabouts,  from  any  other  spot  of  land.  It 
has  no  inhabitants  save  a  few  sea-gulls ;  it  offers  neither 
food  nor  water  to  the  ocean  wanderer,  and  the  only 
vegetation  which  it  produces  is  a  species  of  moss. 
Captain    Sala-y-Gomez    discovered    it    in    1793;    an 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  153 

American  skipper  named  Gwyn  sighted  it  in  1802 ; 
the  Spaniards  visited  it  a  second  time  in  1805 ;  and 
Kotzebue,  Beechey,  and  Mr.  Scott,  master  of  the  British 
barque  Druid,  have  since  examined  it ;  but  it  is  now 
seldom  sighted,  and  for  this  reason  it  was  well  selected 
by  Snaggs  as  the  place  of  deposit  for  the  Emperor's 
ransom. 

The  Lusatians  had  been  more  than  three  months  on 
board  the  Philistia  when,  on  January  23rd,  a  full-rigged 
two-funnelled  man-of-war,  which  was  afterwards  ascer- 
tained to  be  the  Lusatian  cruiser  Wrangel,  was  dis- 
covered, apparently  lying-to,  right  ahead.  Twenty 
minutes  later  it  was  seen  that  all  her  boats  were  out, 
and  that  they  were  busily  engaged  in  landing  a  number 
of  chests  on  the  south-west  side  of  Sala-y-Gomez,  off 
which  the  vessel  lay. 

On  board  the  Philistia,  which  was  also  brought-to, 
there  was  much  excitement,  both  among  the  captors  and 
among  the  captives.  Snaggs  did  not  attempt  to  conceal 
his  triumph.  His  plot  was  assured  of  a  successful 
issue ;  for  was  not  the  ransom  of  twenty-five  millions 
of  dollars  being  sent  ashore  under  his  very  eyes  ?  The 
Emperor,  on  the  other  hand,  was  disappointed.  He 
had  expressly  desired  that  no  effort  should  be  made  to 
ransom  him;  but  that  either  he  should  be  recaptured 
by  force,  or  that  measures  should  be  taken  for  reducing 
the  Philistia  by  continual  harrying  of  her,  and  by 
rendering  it  impossible  for  her  to  obtain  supplies.  Yet, 
so  far  as  he  could  judge,  his  wishes  were  not  bemg 
attended  to,  and  the  ransom  had  not  only  been  collected, 


154  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

but  was  actually  being  tamely  made  ready  for  delivery 
to  the  scoundrels,  the  very  idea  of  coming  to  terms  with 
whom  revolted  him. 

The  Cunarder  lay  just  out  of  gunshot  of  the  Wrangel, 
and  everyone  in  her,  including  the  Emperor  and  his 
suite,  glasses  in  hand,  was  watching  the  boats  as  they 
pulled  to  the  island,  when  a  man  who  was  on  the  look- 
out in  the  crow's-nest  on  the  foremast  sighted  a  steamer 
coming  up  rapidly  from  the  southward.  An  instant 
later  he  reported  another,  over  the  island  to  the  north- 
ward; and,  almost  ere  the  PMZistia  could  be  got  under 
way,  he  announced  that  a  third  was  approaching  from 
the  south-west. 

'  This  is  a  trap  for  us,'  said  Rawlins,  who  was  on  the 
bridge,  to  Snaggs.  '  I  could  hardly  believe  that  they 
were  going  to  throw  up  their  hands  without  a  word,  and 
leave  us  to  carry  off  the  boodle  at  our  ease.' 

4  Never  you  mind,'  rejoined  Snaggs.  '  There's  the 
boodle  right  enough,  and  if  we  can't  take  it  now,  we 
can  take  it  to-morrow  or  some  other  day ;  and  on  that 
you  may  bet  your  sweet  life.  It  ain't  in  reason  that 
they  want  to  give  up  the  twenty-five  million  dollars 
without  a  struggle — who  would?  But  they'll  soon  see 
the  all-fired  uselessness  of  tryin'  to  catch  such  a  daisy 
of  a  flyer  as  the  Philistia;  and  they'll  give  up  the  game, 
and  be  glad  to  take  their  precious  Emperor  on  our 
terms.' 

And  he  turned  to  consult  with  the  captain,  who, 
having  got  the  ship  round  with  her  head  to  seaward, 
and  having  plenty  of  steam  ready,  put  her  on  a  north- 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  155 

westerly  course.  •  He  would  have  preferred  to  run  to  the 
eastward,  but  in  order  to  do  so,  and  to  avoid  the  vessel 
that  was  coming  up  from  the  southward,  he  would  have 
had  to  pass  dangerously  close  to  the  Wrangel.  No 
sooner  did  his  intentions  become  clear  than  the  ship 
to  the  northward  and  the  ship  to  the  south-west  altered 
course,  and  the  Philistia's  captain  presently  saw  that, 
do  what  he  would,  he  ran  extreme  risk  of  being  taken ; 
for,  an  hour  later,  he  made  out  that  the  northerly  ship 
was  his  old  friend  the  ChriemMld,  and  the  south-westerly 
one  the  still  more  formidable  and  fast  British  cruiser 
Theseus.  They  were,  fortunately  for  the  Americans,  not 
within  signalling  distance  of  one  another  when  they  were 
first  sighted,  and  so  for  a  period  they  were  unable  to 
act  in  concert ;  but  the  Wrangel  soon  communicated  her 
views  to  both  of  them,  and  upon  receiving  them  they 
began  a  systematic  endeavour  to  cut  off  the  Philistia, 
the  ChriemMld  trying  to  head  her,  and  so,  by  forcing 
her  to  alter  her  helm,  to  drive  her  towards  the  Theseus. 

The  sky  was  clear  and  the  ocean  was  calm,  and  as 
the  Lusatian  officers,  barely  repressing  their  excitement, 
were  again  gathered  on  the  poop,  they  saw  a  pretty 
sight.  On  their  starboard  beam,  swerving  always  to 
starboard,  was  their  own  ChriemMld,  distant  as  yet,  but 
throwing  up  around  her  sharp  bows  a  great  white  wash 
of  water,  and  pouring  forth  from  her  numerous  fires  a 
huge  cloud  of  dark  smoke.  On  their  port  quarter,  with 
even  more  bow- wash,  but  with  comparatively  little 
smoke,  the  Theseus,  shining  white  in  the  sun,  was 
cleaving  her  way  towards  them,  and  at  the  same  time 


156  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

covering  herself  with  signal-bunting  for  the  instruction 
or  interrogation  of  her  consorts. 

So  intent  were  the  officers  upon  watching  their  would-be 
rescuers,  that  they  did  not  remark  the  absence  from  the 
deck  of  one  of  their  number — Lieutenant  Dicker,  of  the 
Lusatian  navy.  He  had  managed  to  lay  hands  on  and 
secrete  a  marling-spike,  and,  with  this  concealed  in  his 
sleeve,  he  was  making  a  devoted  attempt  to  find  his  way 
to  the  engine-room,  determined,  if  possible,  to  do  some 
damage  which  should  have  the  effect  of  delaying  the 
ship,  and  enabling  the  pursuers  to  come  up  with  her. 

But  the  Americans  were  watchful.  Dicker  could  not 
get  into  the  engine-room  without  passing  a  man  who 
was  on  guard  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  leading  to  it ;  and 
the  mere  presence  of  the  Lusatian  in  that  part  of  the 
ship  caused  him  to  be  seized.  He  made  a  gallant  but 
useless  resistance ;  he  was  quickly  pinioned  and 
searched  ;  the  marling-spike  was  found  upon  him  ;  and, 
his  object  being  thus  made  evident,  he  was  put  in  irons, 
dragged  on  deck  with  much  roughness  and  no  little 
ignominy,  and  taken  to  the  foot  of  the  bridge-ladder. 
His  struggles  below,  the  exclamations  of  his  captors, 
and  his  unwilling  appearance  in  custody  attracted  the 
attention  not  only  of  Snaggs  and  Rawlins,  who,  at  such 
a  moment  were  naturally  on  the  look-out  for  anything 
that  might  imperil  the  success  of  their  plans,  but  also 
of  the  Emperor  and  his  suite,  who,  turning  their  backs 
for  a  moment  upon  the  war-ships,  crowded  round  the 
ladder,  indignant  at  the  manner  in  which  the  lieutenant 
was  being  treated. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  157 

1  What  has  he  been  up  to  ?'  asked  Colonel  Snaggs 
from  the  bridge. 

'  He  wanted  to  jam  this  spike  into  the  machinery,' 
replied  one  of  Dicker's  guardians,  as  he  held  aloft  the 
corpus  delicti. 

'  Overboard  with  him  ! '  cried  Snaggs  laconically.  '  I 
said  I  didn't  want  to  have  any  unpleasantness  ;  but  if 
there's  got  to  be  unpleasantness,  why,  I  guess  I  can 
play  the  game  as  good  as  anyone.' 

The  Field-Marshal  and  the  Admiral  looked  anxiously 
at  the  Emperor,  who  for  an  instant  forgot  his  self- 
restraint  and  the  hopelessness  of  his  position,  and, 
rather  by  gesture  than  by  words,  ordered  his  followers  to 
close  about  the  lieutenant ;  but  the  Lusatians  were  at 
once  steadily  thrust  back  by  an  overpowering  body  of 
Americans,  and,  the  people  on  the  bridge  having  with 
great  promptitude  pulled  out  their  revolvers,  the 
Emperor,  motioning  away  his  officers,  advanced  alone, 
and,  addressing  Snaggs,  said  with  obvious  emotion : 

'  We  cannot  resist.  If  you  will  liberate  Lieutenant 
Dicker,  I  will  guarantee  his  future  behaviour.' 

'  Indeed !'  returned  Snaggs  with  mock  politeness. 
1  The  offer  comes  rather  too  late.  The  trouble  is  not  of 
my  matin',  but  of  his.  I  don't  want  to  be  unreasonable, 
though.  After  what  I  said  the  other  day  he  deserves  to 
be  shot  or  drowned.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do. 
These  ships  are  goin'  to  put  us  in  a  precious  tight  place. 
I  was  thinkin'  of  droppin'  him  overboard  as  he  is.  I'll 
give  him  a  life-buoy,  and  I'll  stick  a  flag  on  it.  Then 
the  chances  are  that  he'll  be  picked  up ;   and,  maybe, 


158  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

while  your  friends  are  piekin'  him  up,  they  will  give  us 
time  to  get  awa}%     That's  what  I'll  do.' 

We  know  that  in  Russia  people  pursued  by  a  pack  of 
wolves  have  flung  even  their  own  children  one  by  one 
to  the  howling  brutes  to  stay  them  on  their  course  ;  and, 
if  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  can  be  so  strong  as  to 
cause  a  woman  to  sacrifice  the  infant  from  her  breast,  it 
is  not  difficult  to  find  an  excuse  for  Snaggs's  determina- 
tion to  fling  an  active  and  declared  enemy  as  a  sop  to 
the  chasing  ships.  There  would,  of  course,  be  much 
risk.  Dicker,  although  provided  with  a  life-buoy,  might 
be  sucked  under  by  the  PJiilistia's  screws,  or  he  might 
be  injured  in  falling,  or  he  might  be  run  down,  or  he 
might  not  be  seen  by  the  rescuers  ;  but  upon  the  whole, 
and  looking  to  the  adverse  circumstances  of  the  case, 
the  general  feeling  was  that  the  lieutenant's  sentence 
was  more  favourable  than  might  have  been  expected. 
At  any  rate,  there  being  no  appeal,  it  had  to  be  accepted, 
and  on  both  sides  preparations  were  made  accordingly. 

The  Emperor  at  once  thought  of  the  numerous  letters 
and  despatches  which  he  had  written  since  he  had  been 
at  sea,  and  sent  an  officer  to  demand  that  they  might  be 
entrusted  to  Dicker  ;  but  Snaggs  returned  a  curt  and 
uncompromising  refusal.  Nor  was  any  conversation  to 
be  permitted  between  the  prisoner  and  any  of  the 
Lusatian  officers.  This  prohibition,  which  the  Emperor 
had  not  anticipated,  for  a  moment  confounded  him. 
He  knew  that  if  the  lieutenant  should  be  rescued,  while 
still  completely  ignorant  of  the  plot  of  the  comedy  which 
was  being  acted  at  Sandburg,  grave  evils  might  result. 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  159 

Von  Dalhoff  might  play  his  part  so  long  as  he  was  not 
suspected  of  playing  one  which  was  not  his  own  ;  but 
if  it  were  so  much  as  once  authoritatively  suggested 
that  Von  Dalhoff  was  not  really  what  he  appeared  to 
be,  inquiry  would  be  inevitable,  and  discovery  almost 
certain. 

Happily,  neither  the  Emperor  nor  his  companions  were 
required  to  quit  the  deck.  Snaggs  hoped  that  if  they 
were  seen  there  his  pursuers  would  be  chary  of  tiring  at 
him.  He  intended,  also,  that  they  should  witness  the 
throwing  overboard  of  Dicker;  and  as,  although  the 
Lusatians  were  prevented  from  holding  converse  with 
the  lieutenant,  they  were  not  prevented  from  standing 
within  a  few  yards  of  him,  the  Emperor  presently,  by 
the  simple  expedient  of  pretending  to  talk  to  Admiral 
Spott  in  Eussian — a  language  which  the  Admiral  did  not 
understand  a  word  of,  but  with  which  Dicker  was 
familiar — contrived  to  convey  to  the  astonished  prisoner 
a  general  outline  of  the  situation,  and  some  details  of  the 
arrangement  under  which  Von  Dalhoff  and  the  Princess 
Nannette  were  acting.  An  almost  imperceptible  move- 
ment of  Dicker's  eyebrows  was  sufficient  to  indicate  that 
he  had  understood,  and  the  Emperor,  with  his  mind 
relieved  from  a  most  oppressive  weight,  was  soon  again 
watching  the  warships,  and  wondering  whether,  after  all, 
he  might  not  be  able  to  carry  home  his  own  messages. 

For,  in  truth,  the  position  of  affairs  was  beginning  to 
look  very  disadvantageous  for  the  Americans.  The 
Chriemhild  was  by  this  time  on  the  Philistia's  starboard 
bow,  at  a  distance  of  less  than  two  miles  ;  the  Theseus 


160  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

was  a  little  abaft  of  the  PhiUstia's  port  beam,  at  about 
the  same  distance,  and  each  was  steaming  fast,  though 
not  quite  so  fast  as  the  Cunarder.  Snaggs's  captain, 
therefore,  altered  course  so  as  to  bring  the  Chriemhild 
nearly  on  his  starboard  beam,  and  so  as  to  take  a  direc- 
tion that  would  lead  him  across  the  bows  of  the  TJieseus, 
and  Snaggs  himself,  having  hastily  taken  off  Dicker's 
irons,  seen  that  he  was  tied  into  a  life-buoy,  and  caused  a 
boat-flag  on  a  short  staff  to  be  lashed  to  the  buoy,  led 
the  lieutenant  to  the  port  gangway  and  bid  him  jump. 

Dicker,  who  had  long  since  come  to  the  conclusion 
that,  unless  he  could  disable  the  ex-Cunarder,  he  was 
perfectly  useless  on  board,  had  learnt  without  much 
regret  that  he  was  to  be  jettisoned  in  order  to  be  picked 
up  by  one  of  the  men-of-war.  The  first  sentence,  that 
he  should  be  flung  then  and  there  into  the  sea,  had 
been  loyally  accepted  by  him  as  the  natural  penalty  for 
his  failure ;  and  if  he  resented  it  it  was  chiefly  because 
it  cost  him  the  reflection  that  never  again  would  he  see 
a  certain  blue-eyed  Gretchen,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
an  innkeeper  at  Friedenhaven,  and  whom,  though  he 
was  very  fond  of,  he  had,  if  the  fact  must  be  told,  treated 
rather  badly.  The  second  sentence  rejoiced  him,  for  not 
only  would  it  end  his  captivity,  but,  if  he  had  ordinary 
luck,  it  would  positively  hasten  the  coming  of  the  day  on 
which  he  should  once  more  meet  that  same  Gretchen,  and 
resume  the  stuffing  of  her  foolish  little  head  with  promises, 
the  performance  of  which  he  probably  never  contem- 
plated even  in  his  most  ardent  moments.  Yet,  when  he 
looked  down  from  the  Pliilisiia's  port  gangway,  and  saw 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  161 

the  white  surge  twenty  feet  below  flying  from  the  ship's 
side  at  a  speed  of  about  twenty  miles  an  hour,  he  felt 
for  a  moment  that  he  could  very  well  wait,  if  necessary, 
for  another  year  to  see  the  innkeeper's  daughter,  and 
that,  after  all,  life  in  the  ex-Cunarder  was  not  unbear- 
able. 

He  thought  much  and  many  things  ;  nevertheless, 
he  jumped  without  apparent  hesitation,  for  although 
Gretchen's  eyes  were  not  upon  him,  the  Emperor's  were, 
and  that  was  still  more  important  to  the  Lusatian 
officer. 

He  fell  on  the  skirts  of  the  wave  that  was  made  by  the 
ship  in  her  course.  This  turned  him  over  and  buffeted 
him  for  an  instant,  and  then  threw  him  aside  into 
smooth  water  and  left  him  to  right  himself.  He  did  so 
without  great  difficulty,  blew  the  salt  water  out  of  his 
mouth  and  rubbed  it  out  of  his  eyes ;  and  when  he  next 
saw  the  ship,  which  he  had  so  unceremoniously  left,  he 
was  a  good  cable's  length  astern  of  her,  and  was  eddying 
in  the  midst  of  the  great  bursting  bubbles  that  had  been 
churned  up  from  the  depths  by  her  propellers. 

His  friends  saw  that  he  had  escaped  the  chief  dangers 
of  his  sentence.  He  had  not  been  struck,  and  he  had 
not  been  caught  by  the  screws ;  and  as  his  bright  little 
flag,  though  wet  and  heavy,  made  a  good  show  on  the 
water,  there  was  every  probability  that  he  would  be  seen 
and  picked  up  by  the  Theseus.  But  for  some  time  the 
British  cruiser  seemed  to  have  no  eyes  for  anything  save 
for  the  Cunarder.  She  held  on  a  course  which,  if  per- 
sisted in  for  another  mile  and  a  half,  threatened  to  bring 

11 


162  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

her  into  actual  collision  with  the  Philistia.  At  last, 
however,  she  saw  the  flag  and  the  buoy  on  her  starboard 
beam.  Possibly  the  British  captain  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  at  least  the  Field-Marshal  who  had  been 
jettisoned,  for  he  ported  his  helm  immediately,  and  as  he 
swung  round  to  starboard  and  showed  his  long  white 
broadside  to  the  Americans,  he  fired  every  one  of  his  port 
guns  at  the  pirate. 

It  was  a  fearful  salvo,  for  almost  every  projectile 
worked  some  sort  of  damage.  That  no  one  was  killed  is 
astonishing,  for  nearly  everyone  on  deck,  the  Lusatians 
and  the  Emperor  himself  not  excluded,  had  at  least  one 
narrow  escape.  That  only  two  persons  were  actually 
wounded  is  even  more  to  be  wondered  at,  and  is  only  to 
be  explained  by  the  fact  that,  owing  to  the  small  resist- 
ance which  they  encountered,  none  of  the  shells  burst. 
They  merely  passed  through  whatever  happened  to  stand 
in  their  way ;  and  thus,  although  there  were  ugly  holes 
and  heaps  of  splinters,  and  although  the  look  of  the 
ship's  upper  works  was  somewhat  spoilt,  no  serious  harm 
was  done,  either  to  the  vessel  or  to  those  in  her. 

In  the  meantime  the  Theseus  slowed  and  lowered  a 
boat,  and  then  resumed  the  chase  ;  but  Snaggs's  ex- 
pedient had  gained  him  the  precious  five  minutes  which 
were  all  he  wanted.  He  had  now  the  Chriemhild  on  his 
starboard  beam  and  the  Theseus  right  astern  of  him,  and 
he  knew  well  that  in  that  position,  unless  an  unlucky  shot 
should  hit  him  in  a  vital  place,  he  was  able,  not  only  to 
hold  his  own,  but  to  forge  ahead. 

The  Chriemhild  fired  several  single  shots,  but  although 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  163 

two  of  them  struck,  very  little  further  damage  was  done, 
and  after  a  three  hours'  exciting  chase  the  pursuers, 
still  doing  their  best  and  still  firing  occasionally,  were 
fairly  distanced,  and  the  Philistia  was  safe. 

But  she  dared  not  even  then  alter  course.  She  kept 
on  at  full  speed  to  the  north-west  until  the  others  were 
hull  down  and  the  long  lights  of  sunset  streamed  across 
the  ocean.  Only  after  dark  did  she  venture  to  turn  to 
the  north-east,  in  order  to  get  back  little  by  little  to  the 
longitude  of  Sala-y-Gomez,  the  candle  around  which, 
moth-like,  she  was  fascinated  to  circle.  For  was  not  the 
treasure  of  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars  on  that  lonely 
island,  and  must  it  not  be  taken  off  ere  Colonel  Snaggs, 
Mr.  Eawlins  and  their  friends  could  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  feeling  that  they  had  schemed  and  ventured  to 
good  purpose  ? 

During  the  three  following  days  the  Philistia  made  a 
long  and  uneventful  detour.  She  had  quitted  the  island 
region  of  the  Pacific,  and  was  also  out  of  the  usual  track, 
of  ships,  so  that  neither  land  nor  sail  was  sighted.  On 
the  early  morning  of  the  fourth  day  Snaggs  approached 
Sala-y-Gomez  very  cautiously  from  the  north-east.  He 
did  not  want  to  be  again  entrapped.  Any  suspicious 
ship  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  island  should,  he 
determined,  be  a  signal  to  him  to  alter  course  sixteen 
points  and  to  steam  away  at  full  speed.  But  he  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  until  every  part  of  the  island  was 
distinctly  visible.  There  was  nothing  to  give  rise  to  the 
slightest  misgiving.  Not  a  sail,  not  even  a  boat,  was  to 
be  seen,  and  nowhere  on  the  wide  horizon  was  there  the 


1 64  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

faintest  trace  of  smoke.  Nevertheless,  to  make  assur- 
ance doubly  sure,  be  steamed  round  tbe  ocean  rock,  and 
examined  its  shores  carefully  with  his  most  powerful 
glass.  Nothing  living  except  the  gulls  was,  he  was  con- 
vinced, upon  the  desolate  spot ;  and  at  last,  keeping  the 
ship  under  way,  and  with  plenty  of  steam  ready  and  a 
good  look-out  set,  he  ordered  out  the  boats. 

The  procedure  to  be  observed  on  landing  had  been 
settled  long  beforehand.  Snaggs  himself  went  ashore 
in  general  command.  Each  boat  was  under  the  orders 
of  a  shareholding  member  of  the  conspiracy,  who,  alone 
of  the  boat's  crew,  was  armed.  Slings,  by  means  of 
which  the  heavy  chests  could  be  carried  on  the  shoulders 
of  six  men,  had  been  especially  prepared ;  and  sling- 
drill,  with  dummy  chests,  having  been  regularly  prac- 
tised on  board,  there  was  every  probability  that,  though 
two  hundred  chests  were  to  be  dealt  with,  all  could  be 
got  alongside  and  on  board  during  daylight.  In  fact, 
Snaggs  had  calculated  that,  if  he  were  left  undisturbed 
during  four  or  five  hours  of  fine  weather,  he  could  easily 
complete  his  task  in  that  time.  Crowbars,  jacks,  and 
tackle  of  various  kinds  had  also  been  ordered  to  be 
taken  ashore ;  and,  without  undue  delay,  the  little  pro- 
cession of  boats,  in  more  or  less  regular  formation, 
pulled  briskly  to  the  rocky  beach  on  the  south-west  side. 

Snaggs,  revolver  in  hand,  landed  at  first  alone,  and 
ordered  his  friends  to  wait  while  he  went  forward  to 
examine  the  ground.  He  scrambled  over  the  boulders 
and  disappeared ;  but  presently  he  appeared  again  near 
the  highest  point,  and,  waving  his  arms,  shouted : 


THE  TRIUMPH  OF  COLONEL  SNAGGS  165 

'  All  right,  boys ;  it's  all  here  safe  enough.  Come 
along  and  fetch  it !'  And,  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  he  emptied  his  revolver  into  the  air,  after  the 
joyous  fashion  of  the  western  cow-boy,  when,  on  the 
occasion  of  one  of  his  rare  outbursts,  he  prepares  to 
'  paint  the  town  red.' 

But  he  did  not  forget  to  load  his  revolver  again,  and 
to  keep  it  in  his  hand,  when,  having  beckoned  up  his 
rough  followers,  he  showed  them,  neatly  stowed  in  the 
prescribed  hollow,  the  stipulated  two  hundred  iron-bound 
chests,  upon  each  of  which  was  branded  a  number,  and, 
in  Gothic  characters,  the  suggestive  inscription : 

♦gl  :  gsusite  :  $*fl.— gL  500,000.     (Solb/ 

'There  it  is!'  he  exclaimed  triumphantly.  'I  knew 
that  we  should  pull  off  this  thing.  I  knew  that  a  live 
Emperor  and  suite  would  be  considered  dirt  cheap  at  our 
price.  Get  the  stuff  on  board,  boys !  Be  smart !  Me 
and  my  friends  won't  be  mean  over  this  job,  I  reckon. 
Get  it  on  board  !' 

And,  taking  up  a  position  from  which,  while  super- 
intending the  operations  on  shore,  he  could  also  keep  an 
eye  on  the  ship,  he  tucked  his  revolver  under  his  arm 
and  lighted  a  cigar.  That  was  the  proudest  moment 
which  Colonel  the  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs  had  so  far 
experienced. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

COLONEL    SNAGGS'S   DISAPPOINTMENT. 

The  taking  off  of  the  chests  was  not  quite  so  speedy  an 
operation  as  had  been  anticipated,  for,  though  they  were 
stacked  within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  boats, 
they  had  to  be  carried  over  some  very  broken  ground, 
and  their  weight  rendered  them  difficult  to  handle.  But 
after  six  hours'  work  in  a  very  hot  sun,  Snaggs  had  them 
all  afloat  and  alongside  the  Philistia. 

Rawlins,  who  had  been  left  in  general  charge,  was  on 
the  bridge.  The  Lusatian  officers,  on  deck  aft,  had  not 
ceased  to  watch  the  proceedings  on  shore. 

The  Emperor,  as  soon  as  he  had  learnt  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  chests,  had  been  unable  to  conceal  from 
Count  Stark  his  disappointment  over  what  he  considered 
to  be  Von  Dalhoff's  pusillanimity  in  submitting  to  the 
terms  of  the  conspirators  ;  and  he  was  still  more  disap- 
pointed when  he  perceived  that  the  chests  were  being 
removed  without  any  interference  on  the  part  of  the 
men-of-war,  which  he  felt  sure  must  be  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  the  island. 

'I  shall  be  almost  ashamed  to  go  back,'  he  declared  to 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT        167 

the  Field-Marshal,  '  feeling  that  I  have  cost  my  country 
all  this  gold,  and  that  the  money,  instead  of  having 
benefited  the  empire,  has  gone  to  enrich  a  score  of  un- 
scrupulous American  adventurers.' 

'It  may  benefit  the  empire  also,'  returned  the  loyal 
old  soldier.  '  Your  Majesty  values  the  usefulness  of  an 
energetic  monarch  at  too  low  a  price.  I  cannot  deem  it 
dear  at  even  a  hundred  millions  of  marks,  and  I  venture 
to  believe  that  if  Lusatia  were  asked  to  pay  twice  as 
much  for  its  Emperor's  safety  it  would  cheerfully  do  so  ; 
for  our  fatherland  has  been  so  happy  as  never  to  have 
had  an  Emperor  whose  welfare  was  not  very  precious  to 
his  people.' 

'A  man  is  worth  what  he  can  do,'  said  the  Emperor, 
'  and  when  he  is  deprived  of  his  ability  to  do,  he  becomes 
valueless.  I  am  not  sure  now  that  1  ought  to  have  allowed 
myself  to  be  taken  alive  ;  for  this  captivity  has  taken 
from  me  not  only  my  ability  to  do,  but  also  my  self- 
respect.  There  is  no  place  for  useless  hands  in  the 
world.' 

•  But  you  will  be  useful  again,  sire  ;  and  this  enforced 
inaction  is  far  from  having  been  of  your  Majesty's 
seeking.' 

1  Of  my  seeking — no.  It  is  not  of  a  man's  seeking 
when  he  grows  old,  and,  for  that  reason,  useless.  Yet  it 
may  be  very  logical  conduct  on  the  part  of  certain  savage 
tribes  to  put  such  old  and  useless  men  out  of  the  way.' 

'  I  am  an  old  enough  man,  sire,  to  tell  you  that  you 
are  too  despondent.  You  are  on  the  eve  now,  let  us 
hope,  of  your  liberation.     A  month  or  two  may  see  you 


168  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

back  in  Sandburg.  You  will  resume  your  old  interests 
and  habits,  and  this  experience  will  then  soon  appear  to 
you  like  a  bad  dream,  or  a  past  illness.' 

Snaggs,  who  was  still  superintending  the  work  in  the 
boats,  and  who  caught  sight  of  the  Emperor  on  deck, 
hailed  him  with  vulgar  good  humour. 

'  Your  people  have  stumped  up  like  gentlemen, 
Emperor,'  he  cried.  '  There's  nothing  left  to  be  done 
but  to  fix  up  for  you  a  comfortable  passage  home,  and 
to  send  you  along  with  our  blessing.' 

The  Emperor  walked  across  the  deck  to  the  other 
side. 

'  That  man  seems  to  treat  the  matter  as  a  joke,'  he 
said  bitterly.  '  I  hope  I  shall  never  forget  Mr.  Hood- 
lum's kindness  in  having  knocked  him  down.  I  shall 
certainly  always  envy  Mr.  Hoodlum.' 

One  by  one  the  heavy  square  cases  were  hoisted  on 
deck  and  carefully  lowered  down  thence  to  the  treasure- 
room,  with  which,  like  all  Atlantic  steamers,  the  Pliilivtia 
was  provided.  Eawlins  checked  and  took  the  number 
of  each  of  them  as  it  passed  him,  and  another  man  at 
the  door  of  the  treasure-room  did  the  same.  More  than 
a  hundred  had  been  got  in-board,  when  the  look-out  aloft 
reported  that  a  sail  was  in  sight  to  the  southward  ;  and, 
as  on  the  occasion  of  the  ex-Cunarder's  previous  visit, 
this  announcement  was  quickly  followed  by  further 
reports  of  a  similar  nature. 

Within  half  an  hour,  indeed,  five  ships,  all  of  which 
were  evidently  men-of-war,  were  visible  in  various 
quarters,  and  it  became  clear  that  the  withdrawal  of  the 


COLONEL  SNAGGS' S  DLS APPOINTMENT         169 

cruisers  had  by  no  means  signified  their  final  abandon- 
ment of  their  object. 

Such  boats  as  had  already  been  unloaded  were  hastily 
hoisted  in  :  every  possible  effort  was  made  to  unload 
and  hoist  up  the  rest ;  and  Snaggs  himself,  in  a  fever  of 
uneasiness,  made  shift  to  go  aloft  in  order  to  see  how 
his  pursuers  were  approaching  him.  That  they  were 
acting  in  deliberate  concert  could  scarcely  be  doubted, 
otherwise  they  would  hardly  have  all  remained  out  of 
sight  long  enough  to  allow  of  the  chests  being  got  off, 
nor  would  they  have  all  reappeared  so  nearly  simul- 
taneously ;  and  these  signs  of  concerted  action  were  not 
the  only  considerations  that  inspired  Snaggs  with  mis- 
apprehension. 

'  If,'  he  asked  himself,  '  the  Lusatians  have  made  up 
their  minds  to  ransom  their  Emperor,  and  for  that 
object  have  put  the  money  on  the  island,  why  do  they 
renew  their  pursuit  of  me  even  before  I  have  had  an 
opportunity  of  performing  my  part  of  the  contract  by 
releasing  my  hostages  ?  Why  do  they  not,  at  least,  give 
me  time  to  land  my  prisoners?  Are  they  not  afraid 
that  by  their  present  conduct  they  may  induce  me  to 
take  a  desperate  course ;  perhaps  even  to  serve  their 
Emperor  as  I  served  Lieutenant  Dicker,  though  under 
less  advantageous  circumstances ;  and,  having  got  their 
money,  to  keep  it  ?' 

To  these  questions  he  could  suggest  no  answer  that 
seemed  to  be  at  all  satisfactory  ;  and,  with  them  still 
puzzling  him,  he  passingly  regretted,  almost  as  soon  as 
he  had  uttered  it,  having  given  the  order  to  go  ahead 


170  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

slowly  to  the  westward,  that  being  the  quarter  from  which 
he  seemed  to  be  least  threatened.  He  regretted  it  because 
it  occurred  to  him  for  an  instant  that  it  would  not  be  a 
bad  plan  to  leave  the  Emperor  and  suite  on  Sala-y- 
Gomez.  But  presently,  when  he  looked  again  at  the 
ships  which  were  gathering  about  him,  he  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  proper  time  for  parting  with  his 
hostages  had  not  yet  arrived.  He,  in  his  own  opinion, 
was  not  being  fairly  treated,  and  it  might  be  advisable  for 
him  to  retaliate  by  breaking  his  part  of  the  contract. 
It  would,  at  all  events,  be  wise  to  keep  in  his  own  hands 
for  as  long  as  possible  the  power  to  break  it,  for  he  had 
no  mind  to  let  his  enemies  laugh  last. 

Several  boats  laden  with  chests  were  still  alongside, 
moving  slowly  through  the  water  with  the  ship  ;  but 
one  after  another,  and  with  great  risk,  they  were  hoisted 
up  to  the  davits,  some  after  and  others  before  they  had 
been  emptied ;  and  although  several  of  them  were  much 
knocked  about  hi  the  process,  all  were  at  length  unloaded 
and  stowed,  and,  ere  the  work  had  been  completed,  '  full 
speed  ahead  '  had  been  signalled  from  the  bridge  to  the 
engine-room,  and  the  Philistia  was  once  more  travelling 
at  the  only  pace  which  seemed  natural  to  her. 

There  was  but  another  hour  of  daylight.  Two  of  the 
pursuers  were  many  miles  astern,  still  almost  hull 
down,  two  more  were  to  the  southward  on  the  port 
beam,  distant  about  four  and  six  miles  respectively,  and 
the  fifth  was  on  the  starboard  quarter,  distant  about  four 
miles.  All  were  far  enough  away  to  be  easily  shaken 
off  during  the  night ;  but  if  the  nearest  ones  of  them 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT        171 

had  been  allowed  to  approach  a  very  little  nearer  they 
might  have  made  themselves  dangerous,  and,  with  the 
chests  under  his  feet,  danger  of  any  unnecessary  kind 
was  the  last  thing  that  Snaggs  was  just  then  anxious  to 
challenge.  Indeed,  he  was  possessed  of  a  single-hearted 
longing  to  get  rid  of  his  prisoners  as  soon  as  possible,  to 
land  his  treasure  at  some  favourable  spot,  and,  having 
chartered  some  unsuspecting  and  unsuspicious  trader  to 
carry  the  ransom  quietly  to  his  own  land,  there  to  divide 
it,  and  to  peacefully  subside  into  the  enjoyment  of  his 
own  share  of  the  proceeds  of  his  industry. 

But  disappointments  and  perils  were  yet  in  store  for 
the  Colonel. 

The  Philistia  was  drawing  away  in  the  most  satis- 
factory manner  from  her  pursuers,  when,  as  the  sun  was 
setting  in  a  blaze  of  glory,  a  cruiser  seemed  to  steam 
right  out  of  it.  She  was  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the 
ex-Cunarder  ere  she  was  clearly  made  out,  for  the  light 
behind  her  was  almost  blinding,  and  it  appeared  to  wrap 
her  up  and  shroud  her,  until  she  chose  to  rudely 
announce  herself  by  firing  a  shot,  which  whistled  along 
not  fifty  feet  from  the  Philistia's  starboard-side.  The 
pirate  was  promptly  put  round  to  starboard,  and  then, 
during  the  short  twilight,  there  was  hot  work  on  both 
sides.  The  new-comer  was  the  Theseus,  with  Lieutenant 
Dicker  on  board,  to  give  his  counsel  as  to  the  Philistia's 
most  vulnerable  points,  and  with  her  own  officers  in  no 
very  gentle  mood  after  their  previous  experience.  Yet 
once  more  the  fates  were  unpropitious  to  the  British 
cruiser.     One  of  her  steam-pipes  burst  soon  after  she 


172  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

had  taken  up  the  chase,  and  thenceforward,  although 
she  was  for  a  time  near  enough  to  do  considerable 
damage  with  her  guns,  and  actually  set  the  ex-Cunarder 
on  fire,  she  rapidly  dropped  behind. 

The  fire  was  no  very  great  matter,  and  was  easily 
extinguished,  but  four  men  were  killed  by  the  bursting 
shell  that  caused  it,  and  several  people,  including  one  of 
the  Lusatian  officers,  who  was  slightly  hit  in  the 
shoulder,  were  wounded.  No  doubt  the  fact  that  the 
Tlieseus's  shells  this  time  exploded,  even  against  the 
small  resistance  afforded  by  the  Pliilistia,  was  attributable 
to  modifications  made  in  the  fuses  at  the  suggestion  of 
Dicker;  and  after  the  experience  afforded  by  the 
explosion  on  board  of  only  one  of  these  missiles,  Snaggs 
felt  very  thankful  indeed  when  the  break-down  of  the 
cruiser  released  him  from  her  attentions.  The  other 
vessels  were  fairly  out-steamed,  and  were  no  more  to 
be  feared.  A  course  north-west  by  west  was  therefore 
set,  damages  were  patched  up,  and  the  American  con- 
spirators, whose  dinner  had  been  postponed  in  deference 
to  the  excitement,  at  length  sat  down  to  it  in  the 
saloon. 

The  Americans  lived  on  board,  not  like  lords,  but  like 
aldermen.  Their  table,  although  they  had  been  nearly 
three  months  at  sea,  was,  thanks  to  refrigerating  rooms, 
French  cooks,  and  unlimited  expenditure  before  leaving 
port,  still  sumptuous,  and  they  drank  wine  such  as  it 
would  not  have  been  easy  to  find  in  the  best  clubs  of 
New  York,  and  in  very  few  of  the  best  of  those  in 
London.     That   evening  they  perhaps  drank  it  rather 


COL  ON  EL  SNA  GGS'S  DISA  PPOINTMENT         173 

more  freely  than  usual,  for  the  occasion  was  a  special 
one ;  and  there  was  throughout  the  company  a  feeling 
that  the  day  marked  an  important  and  culminating 
point  in  the  history  of  the  expedition.  Dinner  was 
barely  ended  ere  someone  called  upon  the  Colonel  for  a 
speech,  and  as  the  Colonel  only  waited  for  an  oppor- 
tunity, he  obligingly  rose  amid  great  and  encouraging 
clicking  of  glasses. 

'Gentlemen,'  he  said,  seizing  a  dessert-knife  with 
which  to  emphasize  his  utterances,  and  resting  his  other 
hand  upon  the  table,  '  I  kind  of  believe  that  this  evenin' 
may  be  regarded  as  a  turnin'-point  in  the  lives  of  all  of 
us.  We  have  played  for  a  big  game— pretty  nearly  as 
big  a  game  as  gentlemen  like  me  and  you  could  play  for 
without  actually  declarin'  a  war  on  the  old-fashioned 
and  expensive  lines— and  we  have  captured  a  real  live 
Emperor  and  suite.  And  right  here,  before  I  go  any 
farther,  I  should  like  to  say  straight  that  that  young 
Emperor,  ever  since  he  has  been  with  us,  has  conducted 
himself  in  every  way  like  a  real  gentleman'  (applause). 
'  I  won't  go  so  far  as  to  tell  you  that  he  and  his  friends 
haven't  given  us  any  trouble,  but  I  do  allow  that, 
considerin'  all  things,  they  have  given  us  mighty  little  ; 
and  you  will  bear  me  out  when  I  remind  you  that  in 
three  months  and  more  we  have  only  twice  had  to  draw 
our  guns  on  the  boys,  and  even  then  didn't  have  to 
shoot.  I  call  that  creditable.  I  call  it  an  honour  to 
that  young  man's  horse  sense'  (applause).  'Well,  not 
only  did  we  capture  that  Emperor,  but  we  stuck  to  him  ; 
and  not  only  did  we  stick  to  him,  but  we  put  a  figure  on 


174  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

him.  And  that  figure — it's  a  respectable  one — so  far 
met  the  views  and  ran  kind  of  parallel  with  the  feelings 
of  this  Emperor's  friends  to  home,  that  to-day  we  have 
taken  on  board  the  very  ransom  we  thought  it  reasonable 
and  just  to  go  for'  (applause).  '  Gentlemen,  I  believe 
we  can  all  sit  back  and  look  pleasant  over  that  little 
deal.  But  that  is  not  all.  This  Empe'ror's  friends  don't 
appear  to  have  gotten  his  correct  and  gentlemanly 
ideas  about  doin'  business.  Thay  have  planked  down 
their  money,  it  is  true ;  but  they  have  done  it  kind  of 
ugly.  They  gave  us  scarce  enough  time  to  pick  it  up 
before  they  started  to  go  for  us  all  they  knew.  They 
didn't  pay  no  attention  to  undertaking,  and  contracts, 
and  bargains — not  they !  The  understandin'  was  that, 
having  gotten  the  money,  we  would  peaceably  put  this 
Emperor  somewheres  on  shore  in  a  handy  place  for 
gettin'  home  again.  We  didn't  want  to  go  back  on  our 
contract — not  much !  But  they  don't  seem  to  wish  to 
give  us  a  show.  You  have  sean  to-day  how  they  have 
chased  us,  instead  of  lettin'  us  quietly  go  away  to  carry 
out  our  bargain.  I  don't  care  what  they  call  it ;  I  call 
it  real  mean.  Gentlemen,  you  know  and  I  know 
whether  we  propose  to  act  straight  or  not.  I  say  we 
did  propose,  and  we  do  propose,  to  act  as  straight  as  a 
die.  But  what  do  they  care?  Here  we  are,  steamin' 
with  no  thought  on  earth  but  to  take  their  Emperor  to 
some  such  handy  place  as  I've  been  speakin'  of ;  yet 
not  only  do  they  chase  us,  but  they  fire  into  us,  and  I 
need  not  tell  you  what  the  unfortunate  result  of  the 
firm'  has  been.     But,  gentlemen,  we  have  gotten  clear. 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT         175 

There's  nothing  on  the  Pacific  to  touch  the  Philistia. 
She  can  show  her  heels  to  any  ship  on  this  side ;  and 
to-night,  as  we  sit  here,  we  may,  I  say,  congratulate 
ourselves  that,  in  spite  of  all  difficulties  and  a  good  deal 
of  unfriendly  feelin',  we  have  pulled  off  a  tarnation  big 
thing  ;  and  don't  you  forget  it.' 

The  Colonel  subsided  to  his  seat  amid  storms  of 
applause ;  but,  immediately  rising  again,  took  from  his 
pocket  a  key,  and,  having  brandished  it  for  an  instant, 
resumed : 

'  There's  no  great  cause  for  me  to  apologise  to  you, 
gentlemen,  if  in  the  natural  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion 
I  have  forgotten  for  a  moment  to  mention  a  little  busi- 
ness topic  which  I  had  in  my  mind  when  I  first 
began.  I  have  reminded  you  that  to-day  we  have  taken 
on  board  a  pretty  considerable  amount  of  gold.  It  ought 
to  be,  and  I  guess  it  is,  twenty-five  million  dollars.  I 
have  reminded  you,  too,  that  we  are  goin'  right  now  to 
perform  our  part  of  the  contract,  and  to  put  this 
Emperor  ashore  in  some  handy  place.  But  business  is 
business,  gentlemen,  and  before  we  actually  do  perform 
our  part  of  the  contract,  it  is  only  reasonable  that  we 
should  make  sure  that  the  other  parties  have  performed 
theirs'  (applause).  'Now  this  key  is  one  of  the  keys 
of  the  treasure-room.  My  friend  Mr.  Eawlins  has  the 
other  key.  In  that  treasure-room  there  are  two  hundred 
chests,  and  each  one  of  those  chests  ought  to  hold 
exactly  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in 
gold  coin.  Now  we  are  bound,  as  business  men,  to 
know  whether  we  have  gotten  properly  paid  or  not ;  and 


176  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

until  we  do  know,  it  would  be  blamed  foolish  of  us  to  let 
this  Emperor  quit.  I  don't  doubt  that  we  have  gotten 
the  money,  but  I  guess  we'll  see.  I  guess  we'll  choose  one 
of  those  chests  at  hazard — for  every  one  is  numbered — 
and  will  have  that  one  in,  and  have  it  opened  right  here 
as  a  sample  for  our  satisfaction.  If  it's  full  weight  and 
full  number,  we  shall  have  no  call  to  feel  uneasy  about 
the  rest.     Will  some  gentleman  name  a  number  ?' 

'Eight,'  shouted  a  man  promptly  from  the  other  end 
of  the  table. 

'  Another,'  said  Snaggs. 

*  Three,'  cried  a  second  man. 

'Eight  and  three,'  continued  the  Colonel.  'Now, 
shall  we  have  in  number  eighty-three  or  number  thirty- 
eight  ?  It  don't  signify.  You'd  best  decide  it  for  your- 
selves, and  then,  I  guess,  you'll  all  be  satisfied.  Hands 
up  for  eighty-three,  gentlemen.' 

Two  or  three  hands  only  were  held  up. 

Snaggs  looked  round  and  counted. 

'  "Well,  who  says  thirty-eight  ?'  he  asked. 

The  hands  of  most  of  the  company  voted  for  thirty- 
eight  ;  and  chest  number  thirty-eight,  being  thus  selected 
for  examination,  was  ordered  to  be  brought  from  the 
treasure-room,  whither  Snaggs  and  Rawlins,  accompanied 
by  most  of  their  friends,  went  hi  order  to  open  the  iron- 
plated  door. 

In  ten  minutes  the  heavy  box  was  found,  carried  to 
the  saloon,  and  hoisted  on  to  a  vacant  table ;  and  the 
ship's  carpenter  and  a  pair  of  scales  having  been  sent 
for,  Snaggs  utilized  the  interval  by  making  certain  cal- 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT        177 

dilations  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  then  announcing  to 
the  crowd  of  conspirators  : 

'  Gentlemen,  a  ten-dollar  gold  piece,  United  States 
currency,  weighs  258  grains.  I  guess  the  contents  of 
this  box,  representing  125,000  dollars,  have  got  to  weigh 
12,500  times  258  grains ;  that  is  3,225,000  grains,  or 
559  lb.  10  oz.  15  dwt.  Troy,  which  in  Avoirdupois 
equals  460f  lb.     It  won't  weigh  much  less,  you  bet.' 

Few  people  realize  that  a  cubic  inch  of  pure  gold 
weighs  upwards  of  eleven  ounces,  and  that  a  cubic  foot 
of  pure  gold  weighs  a  good  deal  more  than  half  a  ton ; 
and  most  of  those  present  were  somewhat  astonished 
to  learn  that  each  of  the  little  boxes,  not  measuring 
exteriorly  much  more  than  a  foot  each  way,  was  capable 
of  containing  not  only  a  small  fortune  in  gold  coin,  with 
all  its  inevitable  waste  of  space,  but  also  the  necessary 
packing. 

'  Is  it  dollars,  marks,  sovereigns  or  francs  ?'  asked 
someone  while  the  carpenter  was  plying  his  screwdriver. 
'  Say,  wait  there,  till  we  get  up  a  little  pool  on  the 
subject.' 

And  as  the  suggestion  pleased  the  gambling  inclina- 
tions of  the  conspirators,  the  carpenter  was  bidden  to 
suspend  his  work  while  a  sweepstakes  at  a  hundred  dollars 
a  share  was  hastily  organized.  Pieces  of  paper  bearing 
respectively  the  words  dollars,  marks,  sovereigns,  francs, 
florins,  pesetas,  guilders,  etc.,  were  folded  up,  thrown 
into  a  hat,  and  drawn  forth  one  by  one  by  the  carpenter 
as  each  contributor's  name  was  called ;  and  even  then 
the  man  was  not  allowed  to  proceed  until  each  paper 

12 


178  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

had  been  put  np  to  auction  and  sold  for  'what  it  -would 
fetch,  half  the  profits  of  the  sale  going  to  the  original 
proprietor  and  the  other  half  to  the  prize  fund.  These 
'  selling  pools '  are  a  favourite  form  of  gambling  among 
all  Americans  who  travel ;  and  the  very  atmosphere  and 
associations  of  an  Atlantic  liner,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
she  was  in  the  Pacific  and  not  in  the  Atlantic,  were  in 
themselves  almost  sufficient  to  engender  such  a  charac- 
teristic episode  as  preceded  the  opening  of  the  first 
chest. 

At  last,  the  auction  ended,  the  carpenter  was  at 
liberty  to  complete  his  work.  He  took  out  the  already 
loosened  screws,  lifted  off  a  substantial  lid,  and  disclosed, 
not  an  array  of  bright  gold  pieces,  but  a  mass  of  news- 
papers. 

'  Take  them  off !'  shouted  someone.  '  Let  us  have  a 
look  at  the  dollars.' 

And  two  or  three  hands  snatched  at  the  papers,  which, 
being  removed,  laid  bare  nothing  more  valuable  than  a 
dull  block  of  solid  metal,  which,  on  examination,  proved 
to  be  lead. 

From  all  sides  there  were  loud  cries  of  indignation. 

'  They've  seen  you  and  gone  better,  Snaggs,'  exclaimed 
one. 

'I  never  thought  they'd  have  been  such  all-fired 
idiots  as  to  plank  down,'  declared  another. 

'  Sold  !'  ejaculated  a  third ;  '  sold,  by  gosh  !' 

But  Snaggs  was  still  a  little  hopeful. 

'  I  guess  the  gold  is  packed  in  lead,'  he  suggested. 
'  Fetch  an  axe  !' 


COL  ON  EL  SNA  GGS'S  DISA  PP  OINTMENT        1 79 

An  axe  was  brought,  and  Snaggs,  who  had  caused  the 
block  to  be  turned  out  of  the  box,  at  the  bottom  and 
sides  of  which  there  were  more  newspapers,  smote  down 
into  the  lead  with  all  his  force,  and,  having  wrenched 
the  axe  free  again,  smote  down  a  second  time,  and 
smashed  the  table  by  the  vigour  of  the  blow. 

Once  more  the  axe  was  wrenched  free,  and  the  two 
cleavages  were  carefully  examined  by  the  light  of  lamps 
which  were  held  for  the  purpose ;  but  the  only  possible 
conclusion  was  that  the  block  was  of  solid  lead,  and  this 
conclusion  was  fully  borne  out  when  the  block  was 
carefully  measured  and  weighed.  The  block,  by 
measurement,  contained  about  1,120  cubic  inches,  and 
weighed,  as  such  a  block  of  nearly  pure  lead  ought  to 
weigh,  about  460  pounds. 

The  Hon.  Barnwell  Snaggs  was  in  a  cold  perspiration. 

'  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  boys,'  he  stammered  out  at  last. 
'  They  calculated  that  we  should  open  box  number  one, 
and,  findin'  gold  there,  or  at  least  in  the  first  two  or 
three,  should  rest  satisfied  and  not  worry  about  the 
rest  until  after  we  had  set  free  the  prisoners.  They've 
not  been  playin'  fair.  That's  where  the  trouble  is. 
And  we've  been  mighty  lucky  in  comin'  down  upon  their 
little  game  in  plenty  of  time  to  bust  it  up.  What  I  say 
is  the  fact,  you  bet.  We  shall  strike  gold  in  number 
one.' 

'  If  we  strike  it  hi  the  first  five  there  won't  be  enough, 
to  pay  the  cost  of  this  little  trip,'  objected  a  conspirator 
who  was  now  less  sanguine  than  the  Colonel,  and  who 
had  invested  his  all  in  the  venture. 


180  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

1  It  don't  matter  a  cent  either  way,'  said  Snaggs. 
1  We've  still  got  the  Emperor,  and  he's  as  good  for  the 
money  as  ever  he  was,  or  even  for  more.  My  idea  is 
that  after  this  bit  of  bluff  we  ought  to  double  the  price. 
But  let  us  have  along  number  one.' 

He  led  the  way  again  to  the  treasure-room,  and 
number  one,  having  been  found,  was  carried  into  the 
saloon,  and  opened,  without,  however,  the  previous 
formality  of  getting  up  a  '  selling  pool '  on  its  contents. 
But  number  one  was  in  all  respects  as  number  thirty- 
eight  had  been  ;  and  so  were  numbers  two,  three,  and 
four,  as  well  as  numbers  one  hundred  and  two  hundred, 
both  of  which  were  subsequently  broached.  Each 
contained  merely  newspapers  and  a  block  of  lead. 

'  Well,  I  am  busted !'  was  a  very  general  exclama- 
tion throughout  the  saloon,  as  the  successive  boxes  were 
opened ;  and  when  the  evening's  researches  were  at 
length  relinquished,  a  feeling  of  almost  hopeless  de- 
pression settled  down  upon  nearly  every  man  present. 

'  But  we'll  have  the  dollars  yet,'  declared  the  Colonel 
savagely,  '  or  my  name  ain't  Barnwell  Snaggs.  We'll 
have  them  if  we  have  to  torture  that  young  Emperor 
first.  I  ain't  a  hard  nor  a  cruel  man  by  nature.  I  hate 
unpleasantness,  and  I  like  to  act  squarely  and  to  be 
squarely  acted  by.  But,  great  Scott !  I'm  not  goin'  to  be 
buncoed  in  this  way.  Not  much !  I'm  goin'  to  go  through 
with  this,  and  there's  got  to  be  no  more  nonsense.' 

'  We  haven't  coal  to  last  for  many  weeks  more,'  ob- 
jected Rawlins. 

'  Nor  stores,'  added  another. 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT         181 

'No  matter,'  returned  Snaggs;  'we  must  turn  pirates, 
if  need  be.  We'll  see  who  can  hold  out  the  longest. 
There's  plenty  of  coal  afloat  in  the  Pacific,  and  plenty 
of  stores.  We  can  catch  any  mail  steamer  in  this  part 
of  the  ocean ;  and  although  the  only  guns  we  have  on 
board  are  those  remarkable  guns  of  Major  Bolter,  we 
can  fire  them  if  we  want  to ;  and  we've  all  got  our  six- 
shooters,  I  believe,  and  know  how  to  use  them.' 

A  very  qualified  adherence  was  given  to  these  radical 
proposals.  The  Americans  were  terribly  dejected,  and 
most  of  them  were,  besides,  weary  of  the  long  stay  at 
sea,  and  more  than  doubtful  whether  any  good  could 
now  be  got  out  of  the  cruise. 

'  I  believe  we  had  best  sleep  over  the  matter  before 
we  conclude  anything,'  said  Eawlins,  as,  having  lighted 
a  cigar,  he  stretched  himself  at  full  length  on  a  sofa, 
and  lazily  picked  up  one  of  the  scattered  newspapers 
from  the  floor.  '  Wonder  what  the  world's  been  doing 
without  us.  Wonder  how  stocks  are  in  N'York. 
Wonder  how  Sandburg  is  feeling  without  its  Emperor. 
Wonder  how  the  fall  elections  went  at  home.' 

And  he  began  to  glance  through  the  paper,  which 
happened  to  be  a  copy  of  the  Times  of  the  end  of 
November.  Many  others  followed  his  example ;  for  the 
saloon  was  littered  with  papers  of  nearly  all  dates 
between  the  second  week  in  October  and  the  end  of  the 
first  week  in  December,  and  among  them,  in  addition 
to  the  Times,  were  the  New  York  World  and  Herald, 
the  French  Temps,  Debuts,  and  Figaro,  the  Independence 
Beige,  the  Kolnische  Zeitung,  the  Neue  Freie  Pressef  the 


182  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Correspondencia  of  Madrid,  the  Trihuna  of  Eome,  several 
Sandburg  periodicals,  and  one  or  two  illustrated  papers 
from  various  capitals.  The  American  who  has  been 
kept  from  a  newspaper  of  any  kind  for  upwards  of 
three  months  can  at  a  pinch  find  something  to  interest 
him  in  journals  two  months  old,  even  though  they  be 
printed  in  a  language  of  which  he  knows  nothing. 

*  Thunder!'  exclaimed  Eawlins,  suddenly  springing  to 
an  erect  position,  and  glaring  at  the  Times  as  if  he 
were  spell-bound  by  what  he  saw  there.  *  This  whips 
creation !' 

'What's  that?'  demanded  Snaggs,  who,  instead  of 
reading,  had  been  gazing  moodily  at  one  of  the  blocks 
of  lead. 

'  Why,  listen  here,'  said  Rawlins.  '  This  is  the  London 
Times,  dated  November  27th  last.  I'm  going  to  read  a 
cablegram  dated  Sandburg,  November  26th.  What  do 
you  say  to  it?'  And  he  read:  '"This  afternoon  the 
Emperor,  who  was  accompanied  by  the  Princess  Nan- 
nette,  drove,  escorted  by  a  squadron  of  hussars,  to  the 
village  of  Dumpling,  about  five  miles  from  Sandburg, 
and  there  formally  opened  the  new  works  which  are  to 
supply  the  capital  with  water.  His  Majesty,  who  looked 
extremely  well,  conversed  for  some  minutes  before  the 
ceremony  with  Herr  von  Stumm,  the  engineer  under 
whose  superintendence  the  waterworks  have  been  con- 
structed, and  afterwards  conferred  upon  him  the  Order 
of  the  Purple  Eagle  of  the  first  class.  From  Dumpling 
the  Princess  drove  back  to  the  royal  palace ;  but  the 
Emperor,  taking  the  train,  proceeded  with  his  suite  to 


COLONEL  SNAGGS' S  DISAPPOINTMENT         183 

Hasenstein,  where  he  was  the  guest  of  the  officers  of 
the  garrison,  who  also  entertained  General  Baron 
Schenck,  commander  of  the  13th  Army  Corps,  the 
Imperial  Chancellor,  the  Chief  of  the  General  Staff,  his 
Highness  the  Grand  Duke  of  Taxis,  and  other  distin- 
guished personages.  After  dinner  the  Emperor,  who 
proposed  the  toast  of  the  13th  Army  Corps,  of  which 
the  Hasenstein  garrison  forms  part,  made  one  of  his 
characteristic  speeches.  At  midnight  his  Majesty  re- 
turned by  special  train  to  Sandburg."  ' 

Snaggs  walked  over  to  Eawlins,  snappishly  took  the 
paper  from  him,  and  carefully  examined  it. 

'There's  something  wrong  here,'  he  said.  'We  know 
there's  something  wrong;  because  we  know  that  their 
Emperor  wasn't  at  Sandburg,  nor  within  many  thousand 
miles  of  it,  on  November  26th.' 

Everyone  else  looked  at  the  paper,  and  agreed  that 
there  must  be  something  wrong. 

'These  British  newspapers,'  Snaggs  explained,  'ain't 
usually  built  that  way ;  yet  I  guess  there  ain't  many 
things  in  this  world  that  money  won't  buy.  They  must 
have  planked  down  a  mighty  big  sum,  though,  to  quiet 
the  London  Times.     It's  curious.' 

'  It  is  curious,'  said  a  man  who  had  been  glancing  at 
the  Debats ;  '  for  the  Paris  papers  have  stories  of  the 
same  kmd.  Here  is  a  despatch — I'll  translate  it  as  well 
as  I  can  as  I  go  along — to  the  Paris  Journal  des  Ddbats, 
dated  from  Sandburg  on  October  18th — that  is,  ten  days 
after  we  left  Friedenhaven.  "  The  Emperor's  marriage," 
it  says,  "  is  now  understood  to  be  indefinitely  postponed, 


i84  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

not  because  of  any  lack  of  personal  sympathy  between 
the  high  contracting  parties,  but  on  political  grounds. 
It  is  said  that  the  Duke  of  Stormarn  has  put  forward 
certain  demands  relative  to  the  abrogation  of  his 
mediatization,  and  that  the  Imperial  Government  objects 
to  grant  them.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  charming  young 
Princess  Griselda  has  taken  a  high  patriotic  attitude, 
and,  it  is  rumoured,  absolutely  refuses  to  be  married 
except  as  the  daughter  of  a  reigning  prince.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  but  just  to  add  that,  apart  from  this 
serious  disagreement,  the  relations  between  the  Emperor 
and  his  betrothed  remain  perfectly  cordial,  and  there 
is  every  prospect  that  the  difficulty  will  ultimately  be 
arranged." ' 

'  And  here's  something  else  !'  cried  another  man,  who 
had  the  New  York  World,  and  who  read  from  its  column 
of  European  Court  gossip  :  '  "It  appears  that  the  recent 
rumour  to  the  effect  that  the  Lusatian  Emperor  had 
been  kidnapped  had  a  certain  amount  of  basis.  A 
scheme  to  kidnap  him  had  been  gotten  up  by  some 
people  who  are  said  to  be  American  citizens,  and  who 
had  chartered  the  Cunarder  Philistia  for  the  purpose ; 
but  the  Emperor  was  warned  of  his  danger  by  an 
American  friend,  Mr.  Esek  Hoodlum,  who,  at  great 
personal  risk,  brought  his  Majesty  ashore  in  a  small 
sailing  canoe  in  the  nick  of  time.  Our  spirited  but 
piratical  fellow-citizens  did,  however,  get  clear  away 
with  several  officers  and  high  officials,  including  Field- 
Marshal  Count  Stark  and  Admiral  Spott,  and  they  have 
signified  their  intention  of  holding  these  gentlemen  to 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT         185 

ransom.  A  sum  of  a  hundred  millions  of  dollars  is  said 
to  be  demanded  for  them,  and  it  is  threatened  that,  in 
case  of  non-payment,  the  hostages  will  be  shot.  Details 
of  the  affair  are  shrouded  in  the  usual  Lusatian  veil  of 
official  secrecy,  but  enough  speedily  became  known  to 
cause  very  widespread  excitement;  the  consequence 
being  that  when,  on  the  evening  of  his  return  to  Sand- 
burg, the  Emperor,  with  his  sister,  the  Princess  Nan- 
nette,  appeared  at  the  opera,  he  received  a  striking 
ovation,  the  entire  audience  rising  and  cheering  him  for 
several  minutes.  It  is  understood  that  measures  of  an 
international  character  are  being  taken  to  pursue  and 
capture  the  kidnappers.  It  is  not  likely  that  the  affair  will 
lead  to  complications,  for  the  most  friendly  assurances 
of  co-operation  in  any  measures  that  might  be  adopted 
for  the  punishment  of  the  offenders  were  at  once  offered 
by  the  United  States  Minister  in  Sandburg,  and  he  was 
specifically  ordered  by  cable  from  Washington  to  convey 
from  the  President  to  the  Emperor  the  former's  official 
and  personal  congratulations  upon  the  latter' s  provi- 
dential escape.  It  is  not  yet  known  in  what  direction 
the  Philistia  has  gone,  but  she  is  supposed  to  be  cruising 
somewhere  in  the  Atlantic.  Her  capture  is,  of  course, 
only  an  affair  of  time.  The  Emperor,  it  is  satisfactory 
to  be  able  to  add,  is  none  the  worse  for  his  adventure, 
and  has  ever  since  been  as  active  and  as  energetic  as 
usual.  This,  week  he  has  already  enjoyed  two  days' 
shooting  with  the  Prince  of  Hohenstoff,  has  alarmed 
the  garrisons  of  Kurm  and  Delling,  has  presided  at  the 
dinner  of  the  Estates  of  the  Province  of  South  Euhland, 


i86  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

has  presented  new  colours  to  the  Uhlans  of  the  Guard, 
has  appeared  at  the  Russian  Amhassador's  ball,  and  has 
paid  a  flying  visit  to  Diel,  where  he  has  launched  a  new 
ironclad." ' 

Snaggs  listened  aghast,  yet  still  half  incredulous,  to 
all  this  and  to  many  other  extracts  which  were  found 
and  read.  Everything  seemed  to  be  slipping  away  from 
him.     He  was,  as  it  were,  in  a  dream. 

'It's  a  great  conspiracy,'  he  stammered. 

'  I  guess  they  can't  get  up  conspiracies  of  that  kind. 
The  Emperor's  there,'  said  a  man  who  up  to  that  time 
had  not  spoken,  '  or  he's  here.  We  believe  that  he's 
here.  It  appears  to  me  that  all  the  rest  of  the  world — 
including  his  subjects,  the  Lusatian  princes,  the  Lusatian 
army,  the  Lusatian  navy,  and  even  his  own  sister  and 
sweetheart — believes  that  he's  right  there  in  Sandburg. 
I'm  no  scholar,  but  I  take  it  that  the  mathematical 
chances  are  about  five  hundred  millions  of  dollars  to  a 
red  cent  that  the  rest  of  the  world  is  correct,  and  that 
every  soul  in  this  confounded  floating  purgatory  is  no 
better  than  a  fool.  If  I  may  be  so  bold  as  to  suggest  a 
single  likely  exception  to  the  general  rule,  I'll  name  that 
young  man  whom  the  Colonel  takes  to  be  the  Emperor. 
That  young  man  ain't  no  fool,  maybe ;  but  there  ain't 
the  most  distant  shadow  of  the  ghost  of  a  doubt  but 
what  he's  a  first-class  knave.  We're  no  great  shakes  at 
recognising  kings  and  emperors  when  we  see  them.  It 
appears  to  me  that  an  emperor  must  look  pretty  much 
like  any  other  man,  so  long  as  he  forgets  to  walk  about 
with  his  crown  on.     But  these  Lusatian  gentlemen  on 


COLONEL  SNAGGS'S  DISAPPOINTMENT  187 

board  are  not  like  us  pure  and  simple  Republicans. 
They  pretend,  I  reckon,  to  know  an  emperor  by  the  cut 
of  his  face,  or  the  tone  of  his  voice,  or  the  colour  of  his 
hair,  or  something  kind  of  indescribable  about  his  sacred 
person;  and  these  Lusatian  gentlemen,  including  the 
old  Field-Marshal,  who  have  all  had  experience  in  de- 
tecting emperors,  allow  that  this  young  man  is  the 
Emperor.  And  that's  why  I  wish  to  point  out  that  the 
young  man's  a  mighty  lot  cleverer  than  the  rest  of  us.' 

These  sentiments  so  fairly  stated  the  probabilities  that 
Snaggs's  incredulity  began  to  vanish. 

'  I  don't  see  how  the  swindle  can  have  been  worked, 
though,'  he  ventured. 

' 1  don't  suppose  that  any  of  us  see,'  continued  the 
man.  '  That's  where  our  foolishness  comes  in.  Maybe 
some  of  us  '11  see  by  to-morrow  morning.  We've  been 
celebrating  our  success  to-night.  The  success  is  a 
matter  of  question:  the  celebration  is  a  trying  fact. 
There's  been  too  much  wine  flying  around.  I  guess 
we'd  best  think  kind  of  carefully  over  our  position.' 

'It  appears  to  me  you're  about  right,'  said  Snaggs, 
whose  mind  was  reduced  to  chaos  by  the  prospect  of  the 
collapse  of  all  his  schemes.  '  I  believe  that  we're 
dreamin'.  We've  dreamt  the  lead,  we've  dreamt  the  news- 
papers, we've  dreamt  that  the  Emperor's  safe  in  Lusatia. 
One  more  glass,  boys,  to  a  happy  wakin'  to-morrow !' 

And  with  a  hand  that  was  rendered  unsteady  as  much 
by  excitement  as  by  wine,  he  filled  a  tumbler  with  cham- 
pagne, tossed  it  off,  and  staggered  to  his  cabin,  where  he 
flung  himself,  as  he  was,  into  his  berth. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

ADRIFT. 

The  morning  of  January  28th  was  fine  and  calm,  and  the 
Emperor,  in  accordance  with  his  invariable  custom,  was 
early  on  deck.  He  always  spent  there  an  hour  or  two 
with  his  suite  before  going  to  breakfast,  and  after  break- 
fast his  practice  was  to  work  in  his  cabin  until  luncheon- 
time.  During  the  long  period  of  his  captivity  those 
solitary  forenoons  were  well  occupied.  The  Emperor 
elaborated  a  great  number  of  schemes  of  social,  financial, 
naval  and  military  reform,  for  the  consideration  of  which, 
had  he  been  at  home  in  Sandburg,  he  would  have  found 
it  almost  impossible  to  snatch  leisure.  In  the  afternoon 
he  again  walked  on  deck  for  a  couple  of  hours,  resuming 
work  in  his  cabin  at  about  half-past  three  o'clock,  and 
remaining  there  until  dinner  was  served.  He  dined  in 
his  fore-cabin,  usually  with  two  specially-invited  officers; 
and  after  dinner  the  cabin  assumed  the  appearance  of 
the  anteroom  of  a  military  mess,  for,  for  the  rest  of  the 
evening,  it  was  free  to  the  whole  suite.  The  Emperor 
talked,  played  whist  or  chess,  or — for  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent musician,  and  there  was  a  good  piano — took  part 


ADRIFT  Igg 

in  an  impromptu  smoking  concert,  at  which  those  who 
were  able  to  do  so  played  or  sang,  and  the  others  recited, 
or  told  stories.  The  songs  were  chiefly  the  simple  old 
folk  songs  of  Lusatia,  which  all  Lusatians  love,  and 
which  recalled  to  those  unwilling  wanderers  on  the  ocean 
dear  memories  of  home  ;  and  at  half-past  ten  the  rising 
of  the  Emperor  to  enter  his  inner  cabin  was  the  signal 
for  the  Lusatian  national  hymn  to  be  sung  in  harmony 
by  all  standing.     After  which  everyone  turned  in. 

But  on  the  morning  of  January  28th,  when  the 
Emperor  went  on  deck  to  join  his  suite,  the  conversation 
was  not  of  the  usual  character. 

The  Emperor's  American  -  Lusatian  servant,  Otto 
Hengler,  had  long  since  become  devotedly  attached  to 
his  imperial  master.  He  had  been  in  and  out  of  the 
saloon  late  on  the  previous  evening,  and,  having  there 
picked  up  some  Sandburg  papers,  had  taken  them  to  his 
master's  cabin.  There  the  Emperor  found  them  when 
he  rose  m  the  morning,  and,  while  he  was  dressing,  he 
learnt  from  Otto  the  whole  story  of  the  disappointment 
oi  the  conspirators  in  the  matter  of  the  chests. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  enter  into  the  eagerness  with 
which  the  Emperor  devoured  the  news  from  his  capital 
or  to  imagine  the  satisfaction  with  which  he  saw  how 
prudently  and  successfully  Von  Dalhoff  and  the  Princess 
Nannette  had  been  working  for  him  during  his  absence 
He  realized,  however,  that  the  extraordinary  nature  of 
the  intelligence  from  Europe  must  have  greatly  alarmed 
the  Americans,  and,  while  it  could  not  but  cause  them 
to  make  inquiries,  might  probably  bring  about  a  radical 


iqo  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

change  in  their  attitude  towards  him.  As  soon,  there- 
fore, as  he  went  on  deck,  he  showed  the  papers  to  Count 
Stark,  who  alone  was  up  to  that  moment  completely  in 
his  confidence,  and  having  taken  the  Field-Marshal's 
opinion,  sanctioned  the  communication  to  the  rest  of  the 
suite  of  the  true  explanation  of  the  state  of  affairs  in 
Lusatia.  He  recommended  them  when  questioned,  as 
they  surely  would  be,  to  say,  as  in  truth  they  might,  that 
they  believed  him  to  be  the  Emperor,  but  that  certainly 
the  reports  from  Sandburg  and  elsewhere  might  be 
sufficient  to  create  doubts  in  the  minds  of  some  people  ; 
and  they  were  urged  not  to  be  unnecessarily  positive  in 
their  identification  of  him. 

'  I  am  not  without  hope,'  the  Emperor  added  to 
Count  Stark,  '  that  these  reports  may  convince  the  pirates 
that  they  have  made  an  inexplicable  error — or,  at  least, 
that  they  may  force  the  Americans  to  the  conclusion 
that,  even  if  I  be  the  Emperor,  the  false  Emperor  is 
now  so  firmly  seated  and  so  fully  recognised  that  there 
is  no  probability  either  of  my  being  ransomed  or  of  my 
being  restored.' 

The  Field-Marshal  conveyed  these  instructions  to  the 
suite,  and  had  barely  made  the  situation  clear  to  all  of 
them  when  Colonel  Snaggs  came  on  deck. 

Snaggs  had  refreshed  his  memory  by  glancing  again 
at  some  of  the  papers  in  the  saloon,  and  had  refreshed 
himself  by  drinking  an  early  glass  of  champagne.  He 
walked  straight  up  to  the  Emperor,  and,  barring  his 
Majesty's  way,  said  abruptly  : 

'  So  I  guess  you're  only  a  fraud  after  all.' 


ADRIFT  191 

'If  you  have  anything  to  say,'  returned  the  Emperor, 
as  he  quietly  turned,  '  say  it,  if  you  please,  to  Field- 
Marshal  Count  Stark,  my  aide-de-camp.' 

The  American,  pale  with  passion,  stretched  forth  his 
hand  to  detain  the  Emperor  and  make  him  listen,  but, 
as  the  Lusatian  officers  had  all  been  narrowly  watching 
him,  he  was  not  allowed  to  do  as  he  intended.  A  great 
yellow-bearded  cavalry  officer,  Lieutenant-Colonel  von 
Puppenheim,  darted  at  him  like  an  avalanche,  seized 
him  by  the  shoulder,  spun  him  round,  struck  him  fairly 
in  the  face  a  blow  that  might  have  felled  an  ox,  and  sent 
him  reeling  and  half-stunned  against  the  railings. 

'  No  one  touches  the  Emperor !'  muttered  Von 
Puppenheim  grimly. 

Snaggs,  who  held  one  hand  to  his  face,  felt  with  the 
other  for  his  revolver  ;  but  again  the  Lieutenant-Colonel 
was  too  quick  for  him.  He  seized  the  American's  hand 
with  a  grasp  that  made  the  joints  crack,  and  in  an 
instant  the  revolver  was  taken  away  by  others  and  was 
flung  overboard. 

'  Thanks,  my  dear  Von  Puppenheim,'  said  the 
Emperor  ;  '  I  shall  not  forget  this.  But  you  have  done 
enough.  Tell  the  man  that  if  he  will  speak  civilly  to 
Count  Stark  he  shall  be  listened  to.' 

Snaggs,  who  was  promptly  released,  did  not  wait  to 
say  or  hear  another  word,  but  stumbled  down  the 
companion,  still  holding  one  hand  to  his  face.  Von 
Puppenheim  had  broken  his  jaw ;  and  when  the 
American  learnt  the  nature  of  his  injury  from  the  ship's 
surgeon,  his  rage  and  violence  were  so  extreme,  that  only 


i92  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

by  force  was  he  prevented  from  providing  himself  with  a 
fresh  pistol,  and  returning  to  the  deck  with  the  intention, 
as  he  almost  incoherently  expressed  it,  of  '  blowing  the 
whole  gang  to  perdition.' 

In  the  case  of  Mr.  Hoodlum,  Agamemnon  Pawlins  had 
already  figured  as  a  diplomatist.  He  figured  in  the  same 
capacity  in  the  still  more  serious  case  of  Von  Puppen- 
heim.  As  soon  as  he  knew  what  had  occurred,  he 
hurried  on  deck  to  Count  Stark. 

'Beg  pardon,  your  Excellency,'  he  said,  'but  there's 
going  to  be  trouble  over  this  little  business.  The 
Colonel's  just  mad.  That  big  officer  of  yours  has  broken 
his  jaw,  and  nothing  '11  satisfy  the  Colonel  but  shooting 
the  man  who  struck  him.  I  don't  say  whose  fault  it 
was  ;  it  don't  matter.  Nor  it  isn't  only  against  the  man 
who  struck  him  that  the  Colonel's  mad ;  he's  mad  against 
the  hull  crowd  of  you,  not  forgetting  the  Emperor,  or 
the  gentleman  that  you  call  the  Emperor.  The  papers 
that  came  on  board  yesterday  prove  that  the  Emperor's 
really  to  home  the  hull  time.  You've  been  took  in,  may- 
be, as  well  as  us.  I  don't  want  to  have  no  more  trouble. 
I'm  sick  of  the  show.  We've  made  big  enough  fools  of 
ourselves  already ;  we  shall  only  make  bigger  fools  of 
ourselves  if  we  let  Snaggs  git  out  and  commence  shoot- 
ing. What  I  say  is,  "  Git !"  We'll  let  you  git  as  smart 
as  you  please  ;  then,  maybe,  we'll  have  a  chance  of 
saving  ourselves  and  gitting  clear  off.' 

'  You  suggest  that  we  should  go,'  replied  the  Field- 
Marshal  ;  '  but  that  lies  in  your  hands.  We  cannot  go 
without  your  assistance,  no  matter  how  much  we  may 


ADRIFT  193 

desire  to  do  so ;  and,  as  you  are  responsible  for  our 
presence  here,  it  is  but  just  that  you  should  be  responsible 
for  putting  us  suitably  ashore.' 

'  That's  so,'  assented  Rawlins ;  '  but  we  can't  put  you 
ashore  anywheres  about  here,  because  there  ain't  no 
shore  to  put  you  on.' 

'  Then  let  us  wait  until  we  get  to  land,  of  course,'  said 
the  Field-Marshal. 

'  See  here,  Excellency,'  explained  Rawlins,  '  it  ain't 
only  Snaggs  I'm  afraid  of ;  some  of  the  others  are  just  as 
mad  as  he  is — disappointed  at  gitting  lead  instead  of 
gold,  and  at  finding  that  the  real  Emperor  ain't  on  board 
after  all.  It's  as  bad  a  business  for  me  as  it  is  for  them. 
I  stand  to  lose  as  much  as  any.  But  we  shall  all  stand 
to  lose  a  mighty  sight  more  if  the  boys  git  to  shooting, 
and  that  I  won't  have  if  I  can  prevent  it.  I'm  talking 
straight  to  you ;  I  mean  what  I  say.  I  shan't  be  able  to 
hold  the  boys ;  they're  getting  uglier  and  uglier  every 
minute.  Say  now,  Excellency,  if  we  was  to  give  you  a 
boat,  the  best  we  have,  and  stores,  and  directions,  and  a 
chest  of  tools,  and  arms  if  you  like,  would  you  feel  like 
gitting?  There's  a  crowd  of  islands  to  the  westward, 
and  they  tell  me  that  the  current  hereabouts  sets  that 
way ;  so  that  even  if  you  didn't  have  the  luck  to  be 
picked  up  by  one  of  the  men-of-war,  you'd  be  bound 
to  git  ashore  somewheres.  Say,  would  you  feel  like 
gitting  '?'     He  asked  it  almost  pleadingly. 

'  Well,  I  don't  know ;  but  I'll  put  the  matter  before 
his  Majesty,  if  you  like.' 

'  I  wish  you  would,  Excellency,  right  here  and  right 

13 


194  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

now,  for  I  can't  promise  to  hold  the  boys ;  and  if  they 
once  commence  using  their  guns,  they  won't  stop  till 
they've  done  what'll  make  them  considerable  sorry  when 
they're  cool  again.' 

Count  Stark  walked  over  to  the  Emperor,  and  repeated 
to  him  all  that  Eawlins  had  said.  To  the  old  soldier's 
astonishment — for  he  was  no  lover  of  or  truster  in  the 
sea — the  Emperor  was  delighted  at  the  idea,  and  even 
became  immediately  enthusiastic  about  it. 

'  Anything  to  regain  some  portion  of  our  lost  liberty,' 
he  said.  '  Our  brave  Dicker  would  have  been  a  great 
assistance  ;  but,  after  all,  there  is  the  Admiral,  and  I 
myself  understand  something  about  boat-sailing.  With 
a  roomy  and  sea-worthy  boat,  plenty  of  stores,  a  few 
instruments  and  tools,  and  some  arms,  we  should  have 
little  to  fear  in  this  beautiful  ocean;  and  the  open-air 
life  in  so  mild  a  climate  would  not  harm  a  child.  Why, 
even  you,  my  dear  Count,  old  as  you  are,  will  revel 
in  it.' 

Admiral  Spott  was  called  into  council,  and  appeared 
to  be  almost  as  pleased  as  the  Emperor.  He  jotted 
down  a  rough  list  of  things  that  must  be  supplied,  made 
a  suggestion  as  to  the  boat  to  be  selected,  and  the  sails 
and  gear  to  be  furnished  for  it,  hinted  that  the  Emperor's 
servant  Hengler  might  be  asked  to  volunteer  to  accompany 
the  party,  and,  upon  the  whole,  took  so  rosy  and  yet  so 
practical  a  view  of  the  project,  that  the  Count,  ere  he 
returned  to  Eawlins,  was  almost  persuaded  that  existence 
in  an  open  boat  in  mid-ocean  must  really  be  a  very 
pleasant  experience. 


ADRIFT  195 

'  That's  good,  Excellency,'  said  Rawlins,  when  he 
heard  of  the  Emperor's  decision.  '  You  shall  have  all 
you  want,  you  bet,  and  more  too.  It's  a  quarter  past 
eight  now.     Do  you  feel  like  starting  at  ten  ?' 

Count  Stark  put  the  question  to  the  Emperor,  whose 
reply  was : 

'  Certainly,  Count ;  the  sooner  the  better  ;'  and 
Eawlins,  who  was  very  uneasy  as  to  whether  he  could, 
even  for  an  hour  and  three-quarters,  be  sure  of  restrain- 
ing all  his  friends,  went  at  once  to  the  Philistia's 
captain  to  consult  with  him  about  the  making  of  the 
necessary  preparations.  In  the  meantime  the  Emperor 
and  his  suite  went  to  breakfast. 

'  I  am  going  to  leave  the  ship  at  ten  o'clock,'  said  the 
Emperor  to  Hengler,  who,  as  usual,  attended  upon  him. 

The  man  opened  his  eyes  wide,  and  threw  half 
involuntary  glances  out  of  the  cabin  scuttles,  as  if  he 
expected  to  see  land  alongside. 

'  I'm  going  in  a  boat,'  continued  the  Emperor,  who 
noticed  Hengler's  wonderment.  '  Have  you  ever  been  in 
a  boat  at  sea — far  out  at  sea,  I  mean  ?' 

'  No,  your  Majesty ;  but  I  understand  how  to  manage 
a  boat.     My  father  is  a  fisherman  at  Suderney.' 

'  At  Suderney  ?  That  is  one  of  our  Lusatian  islands. 
Why  did  you  leave  your  fatherland  ?' 

'May  it  please  your  Majesty,  I  was  told  that  in 
America  there  were  no  poor ;  that  everyone  could  do  as 
he  liked  ;  and  that ' 

*  Well,  go  on,  Hengler  ;  what  else  were  you  told  ?' 

1  May  your  Majesty  forgive  me !  I  was  told  also  that 


196  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

in  America  I  should  not  have  to  help  to  support  any 
king  or  emperor.' 

'  Ah  !'  said  the  Emperor  with  a  smile ;  '  that  is,  of 
course,  a  great  advantage.  You  naturally  found  that 
you  were  much  better  off.' 

'  No,  your  Majesty.' 

'  But  you  were  not  poor  ?' 

'  I  was  as  poor  as  in  Lusatia,  neither  more  nor  less, 
your  Majesty,  for,  though  I  earned  higher  wages,  it  cost 
me  more  to  live.' 

'  You  were  more  comfortable,  nevertheless ;  for  you 
could  do  as  you  liked.' 

'Your  Majesty,  I  venture  to  believe  that  there  is  no 
place  in  which  a  poor  man  is  more  at  the  absolute 
mercy  of  the  rich  than  in  America.' 

'  At  least  you  had  not  to  support  any  emperors,  kings, 
or  grand  dukes.' 

'  Your  Majesty,  I  had  to  assist  to  support  millionaires, 
financiers  and  monopolists,  men  who  seemed  to  have  no 
interest  in  the  well-being  of  the  poor  who  slaved  for 
them,  men  who  thought  only  of  squeezing  ever  more 
and  more  out  of  the  people.' 

'  So  ?  Then  I  suppose  that  you  will  return  to  Lusatia, 
Hengler  ?' 

'  How  can  I,  your  Majesty  ?'  asked  Hengler. 

'  With  me.' 

Hengler  fell  upon  his  knees,  took  the  Emperor's 
hands,  kissed  them,  and  burst  into  tears. 

'  I  did  not  dare  to  beg  your  Majesty,'  he  said,  '  to  give 
me  permission  to  go  back.     I   have   been  here  among 


ADRIFT  197 

your  Majesty's  enemies,  in  the  pay  of  these  pirates. 
Your  Majesty  has  told  me  that  it  was  no  place  for  a 
loyal  Lusatian.  But,  your  Majesty,  I  am  a  loyal 
Lusatian  yet.  I  would  lay  down  my  life  for  your 
Majesty,  now  or  at  any  time.  My  greatest  misfortune 
would  be  to  have  to  quit  your  Majesty's  service.  If 
your  Majesty  will  graciously  deign  to  take  me,  I  will  go 
anywhere  or  do  anything.  For  these  three  months 
I  have  been  every  day  ashamed.  When  I  am  out  of  this 
ship  I  shall  be  a  man  again.' 

The  Emperor  raised  his  servant  kindly. 

'  Then  you  will  be  a  man  at  ten  o'clock  to-day,'  he 
said ;  '  and,  as  for  quitting  my  service,  so  long  as  you 
behave  like  a  man,  a  true  Lusatian  man,  you  shall  be 
my  Jager.  There !  never  mind  saying  what  you  want 
to  say.  Get  my  papers  together,  and  a  few  clothes. 
I  did  not  bring  them,  but  I  shall  take  them  with  me. 
And  be  quick !' 

In  the  meantime  a  thirty-two  foot  pinnace,  fitted  to 
carry  two  sliding  gunters,  and  supplied  with  all  needful 
gear,  provisions,  water  in  barricoes,  instruments,  and 
arms,  was  got  ready  on  the  davits,  under  the  super- 
vision of  Admiral  Spott,  the  captain  of  the  Philistia, 
and  Agamemnon  Eawlins.  There  was  some  grumbling 
among  the  Americans  who  stood  looking  on. 

'  We  ought  to  keep  the  Lusatians  as  hostages  for  our 
safety,  if  not  for  the  return  of  our  money,'  declared 
one. 

'Better  shoot  the  lot  of  them,'  said  another. 

But  Bawlins  made  so  strong  a  point  of  the  inutility  of 


198  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

keeping  and  feeding  men  who  were  palpably  not  worth 
ransoming ;  of  the  obvious  fact  that  sooner  or  later  the 
captives  must  be  got  rid  of  in  some  way,  and  of  the  evil 
consequences  that  must  inevitably  result  from  any 
violence  offered  to  the  prisoners,  that  his  friends 
contented  themselves  with  grumbling,  and  did  not  raise 
any  more  serious  objection  when,  at  a  few  minutes 
before  ten,  the  engines  were  stopped,  and,  the  ship 
having  lost  her  way,  the  pinnace  was  lowered  into  the 
water  and  brought  to  the  lee  gangway. 

The  captain  of  the  Philistia  marked  out  the  vessel's 
position  on  a  chart,  which  he  gave  to  the  Admiral.  He 
also  gave  him  a  few  books,  including  a  '  South  Pacific 
Directory.'  One  after  another  the  officers  were  handed 
down  into  the  boat ;  Hengler,  with  the  Emperor's  very 
modest  luggage,  followed,  and  finally  the  Emperor  and 
the  Field-Marshal  descended.  The  pinnace  was  shoved 
off,  and  the  Pliilistia,  slowly  gathering  way  again, 
pursued  her  course,  leaving  the  boat  alone  upon  the 
ocean. 

It  was  a  sudden  departure.  Only  two  hours  earlier 
there  had  seemed  to  be  no  prospect  of  it.  Yet,  although 
the  Philistia  had  been  the  home  of  the  Emperor  and  his 
suite  for  upwards  of  three  months,  they  experienced  no 
regret  at  leaving  her,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  were 
exchanging  comfortable  quarters  for  very  uncomfortable 
ones,  good  beds  for  hard  boards,  and  well-furnished 
cabins  for  the  vault  of  heaven.  Each,  as  he  dropped 
into  the  boat,  felt  that  he  had  at  last  made  a  step  in  the 
direction  of  home. 


ADRIFT  199 

In  the  Philistia  there  may  have  been  regrets — indeed, 
there  must  have  been  ;  for  the  disappearance  of  the 
prisoners  cannot  have  been  for  long  concealed  from 
Snaggs,  who  must  have  been  furious  when  he  heard  of 
it.  A  few  hours  later,  however,  even  Snaggs  may  well 
have  been  reconciled  ;  for,  in  such  a  gale  as  that  which 
blew  on  the  next  night,  the  most  revengeful  passions  of 
the  Colonel  must  have  been  satiated  by  the  reflection 
that,  while  he  was  dry  and  warm  in  a  giant  steamship, 
which,  with  all  her  power,  could  barely  hold  her  own, 
those  whom  he  most  hated  were  struggling,  only  a 
few  miles  away,  in  an  open  pinnace,  with  Death,  who 
stretched  forth  a  hundred  hands  from  the  darkness 
around  them,  and  who  shrieked  terror  into  the  ear  of 
each. 

That  part  of  the  South  Pacific  in  which  the  castaways 
found  themselves  lies  outside  the  usual  region  of  hurri- 
canes, and  is  within  the  limits  of  the  south-east  trades 
at  that  time  of  the  year.  A  steady  easterly  breeze  was, 
in  fact,  blowing ;  the  weather  was  fine,  and  although 
Easter  Island,  somewhat  to  the  south-west,  was  actually 
the  nearest  land,  the  Admiral  deemed  it  safest,  upon  the 
whole,  to  make  for  the  Low  Archipelago  to  the  westward ; 
for  Easter  Island,  owing  to  its  solitary  position,  is 
little  visited,  and  has  very  irregular  communication  with 
the  outside  world,  while  the  Low  Archipelago,  though  it 
also  is  somewhat  remote  from  the  greater  highways  of 
commerce,  forms  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  vast  net* 
work  of  islands  and  islets  that  extends  thence  westward 
to   Australia    and    the    Malay   Peninsula.     At   Easter 


200  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Island,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Admiral,  the  party  might  be 
stranded  for  months  ;  but  it  could  scarcely  happen  that 
news  of  its  presence  in  the  Low  Archipelago  would  not 
speedily  reach  Tahiti,  or  some  other  centre  of  trade ;  for 
the  inter-insular  traffic  is  sufficient  to  disseminate  im- 
portant intelligence  pretty  rapidly.  Moreover,  it  seemed 
probable  that  Lusatian  and  other  cruisers  might  be  more 
reasonably  looked  for  in  that  quarter  than  in  the  more 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  Sala-y-Gomez,  which  could 
no  longer  be  supposed  to  offer  any  attractions  to  the 
Philistia.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  sail  had  been  made, 
the  boat  was  put  nearly  before  the  wind,  and,  at  the 
Emperor's  suggestion,  those  on  board  were  at  once 
formed  into  two  watches,  of  one  of  which  the  Emperor, 
and  of  the  other  the  Admiral,  took  charge. 

When  order  had  been  established,  the  Emperor 
addressed  his  suite. 

'  You  must  have  been  astonished,  gentlemen,'  he  said, 
'  when,  through  my  old  and  dear  friend  Field-Marshal 
Count  Stark,  I  intimated  to  you  this  morning  that, 
thanks  to  arrangements  which  I  was  happily  able  to 
make,  our  people  at  home  have  been  kept  in  ignorance 
of  the  fact  that  I  am  not  still  among  them.  Those 
arrangements,  originally  made  in  order  that  I  might 
secure  for  study  and  necessary  relaxation  moments  which 
must  have  been  otherwise  given  to  the  performance  of 
purely  mechanical  functions  that  really  benefit  no  one, 
will,  I  trust,  have  the  effect  of  preserving  peace  and 
prosperity  in  our  dear  Lusatian  fatherland  until  I  am 
permitted   to  return  thither.     The  Baron  von  Dalhoff, 


ADRIFT  20 1 

enjoying  the  advantage  of  the  counsel  and  clear  good 
sense  of  my  royal  sister,  the  Princess  Nannette,  will,  I  am 
persuaded,  serve  me  and  my  country  well ;  and  although 
it  is  not  without  a  feeling  of  repulsion  that  I  reflect  that 
I  have  made  myself  a  party  to  a  course  which  strict 
ethics  may  be  able  to  impugn,  I  do  not  reproach 
myself,  and  I  would  not,  in  the  circumstances,  have  it 
otherwise.  If  it  were  known  that  I  am  here  in  the  mid- 
Pacific,  instead  of  at  the  helm  of  the  State,  misfortunes 
many  and  great  would,  I  know  too  well,  threaten  Lusatia 
from  more  than  one  quarter.  So  long  as  I  am  believed 
to  be  at  my  post,  alert  and  watchful,  the  Empire  will,  I 
hope  and  pray,  have  peace.  And  I  am  seriously  of 
opinion  that — putting  strict  ethics  aside — a  deception, 
which  is  in  itself  harmless,  may,  when  it  secures  the 
blessings  of  continued  peace  to  scores  of  millions  of 
people,  be  not  only  justifiable,  but  a  matter  of  duty. 
That  harmless  deception,  gentlemen,  must  be  persisted 
in  until  I  am  once  more  in  Sandburg.  It  will  not  suffice 
to  persist  in  it  only  until  it  can  be  announced  in  Lusatia 
that  I  am  rescued,  and  am  on  my  way  home.  There 
must  be  no  interval  between  the  moment  when  the  Baron 
von  Dalhoff  becomes  again  himself  and  the  moment 
when  I  become  again  myself.  To-day,  to-morrow,  we 
may  be  picked  up.  It  will  not  do  for  the  true  history 
of  our  adventures  to  get  home  before  us.  Therefore 
my  will  and  pleasure  is,  gentlemen,  that  from  this 
moment  I  cease  to  be  the  Emperor  until  I  am  once 
more  in  Sandburg.  The  Baron  von  Dalhoff  has  taken 
my  place,  and  left  a  vacant  personality.     I  intend  to 


202  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

take  that  personality,  and  to  be  to  all  of  you  the  Baron 
von  Dalhoff,  and  none  other,  so  long  as  I  remain  away 
from  my  post.' 

This  new  arrangement  was  a  convenient  and  almost 
a  necessary  one.  In  an  open  boat  in  mid-ocean  dis- 
cipline and  order  can  be  maintained  even  amid  the  most 
terrible  hardships,  but  anything  in  the  nature  of  state 
or  exclusiveness  cannot.  The  Emperor,  equally  with 
Hengler,  had  to  live,  eat,  and  sleep  in  public.  He  had 
no  safer  resting-place  than  Hengler ;  he  had  no  better 
food ;  he  had  no  more  shelter.  And  to  the  Emperor 
himself  the  change  was  as  welcome  as  it  was  to  his 
suite.  To  his  mind  ceremony  would,  in  the  circum- 
stances, have  been  ridiculous,  and  he  was  relieved  to 
be  able  to  lay  it  down,  and  to  feel  it  not  beneath  his 
position  to  lend  a  hand,  as  the  others  did,  in  the  working 
of  the  boat,  in  the  preparation  of  meals,  and  in  the 
taking  of  observations.  Indeed,  that  part  of  the  ex- 
perience was  to  him  delightful.  He  was  accustomed 
to  be  mentally  active ;  but  actual  manual  activity,  in- 
volving the  expenditure  of  exertion,  the  raising  of  blisters, 
and  the  occasional  pinching  of  fingers,  was  sufficiently 
novel  to  be  altogether  pleasurable.  The  Emperor  threw 
himself  into  his  assumed  part  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  English  youngster  who  goes  for  the  first  time  on 
a  camping-out  expedition  up  the  Thames.  What  were 
annoyances  to  some  of  the  others  were  subjects  of  joke 
to  him.  As  Emperor  reserved,  often  taciturn,  and 
always  dignified,  he  was,  as  Von  Dalhoff,  the  joyous  soul 
of  the  little  party  in  the  pinnace ;  and  so  completely  did 


ADRIFT  203 

he  adopt  his  new  character,  that  in  a  few  hours  he 
seemed  to  have  entirely  laid  aside  his  old  self,  and,  as 
he  himself  said,  to  have  '  put  the  boat  on  an  even  keel, 
she  having  been  previously  a  good  deal  too  much  down 
by  the  stern.' 

The  day  passed  uneventfully,  the  breeze  continuing, 
and  good  progress  being  made ;  but  towards  sunset  the 
wind  freshened  considerably,  the  horizon  became  over- 
cast, and  the  rapidly-falling  barometer  indicated  that 
a  disagreeable  change  was  impending.  Hurricanes  are 
not  at  all  common  at  any  season  in  the  Western  Pacific ; 
indeed,  true  hurricanes  are  seldom  encountered  anywhere 
in  the  Pacific  except  in  the  neighbourhood  of  land.  But 
the  Admiral,  who  knew  the  signs,  saw  quite  enough  to 
make  him  very  apprehensive.  A  heavy  gale — whether 
a  true  hurricane  or  not — was  certainly  brewing;  and 
with  a  view  to  preparing  for  it,  the  Admiral  caused  a 
number  of  spare  spars  and  oars,  together  with  a  spare 
sail,  to  be  lashed  together  and  weighted,  so  that  the 
pinnace,  attached  to  this  drag  by  a  span,  might  have 
something  which  she  could  ride  to  leeward  of,  which 
would  help  to  break  the  sea,  and  which  would,  if  the 
blow  came  from  a  wrong  quarter,  retard  her  drift. 

This  was,  as  it  turned  out,  a  very  wise  precaution ; 
for  at  about  ten  o'clock  that  night  a  most  terrible  storm 
burst  upon  the  boat.  The  gale  began  from  the  east- 
ward, and  swung  round  gradually,  through  south  and 
west,  to  north-west,  then  as  gradually  going  back  to 
east.  But  the  cyclone — for  it  was  a  regular  cyclone,  in 
spite  of  the  distance  from  land — occupied  no  less  than 


204  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

nineteen  hours  in  passing  through  all  these  changes, 
and  during  the  whole  of  that  trying  time  the  pinnace 
and  her  occupants  were  in  the  most  extreme  peril.  The 
seas  were  gigantic ;  a  dozen  times  the  boat  narrowly 
escaped  being  swamped,  and  more  than  once  she  was 
on  the  brink  of  turning  over  head  foremost,  so  sharp 
and  steep  were  the  waves  down  which  she  slid.  Rest 
of  any  kind  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question  for  all. 
Indeed,  occasionally  the  movements  of  the  boat  were 
so  violent,  that  only  by  holding  on  to  thwarts  and  gun- 
wale was  it  possible  to  avoid  being  flung  out  of  her. 
And,  owing  to  the  lanterns  not  being  properly  con- 
structed, the  unhappy  castaways  were  for  many  suc- 
cessive hours  in  absolute  darkness,  drenched  by  seas 
which  almost  took  their  breath  away,  not  knowing 
whither  they  were  going,  cold,  bruised,  hungry,  and 
at  times  having  to  bale  for  dear  life,  lest  their  craft 
should  go  down  under  them. 

The  experience  was  a  cruel  one  for  all  concerned,  but 
especially  for  the  old  Field-Marshal,  who,  an  indifferent 
sailor  at  the  best,  suffered  terribly,  and,  moreover,  had 
not  the  reserve  of  strength  possessed  by  his  younger 
companions.  After  two  hours  of  struggle  against  his 
increasing  weakness  he  collapsed  altogether,  and  ceased 
to  be  capable  of  making  any  effort  for  his  own  preserva- 
tion. The  Emperor  showed  great  solicitude  for  him, 
wrapped  him  in  his  own  coat,  and  from  time  to  time 
forced  him  to  take  mouthfuls  of  brandy ;  but,  as  morning 
came  on,  the  veteran,  propped  against  a  thwart,  lost 
consciousness,  and  when  such  dull  and  cheerless  day- 


ADRIFT  205 

light  as  the  lowering  clouds  permitted  broke,  his  condition 
was  such  as  to  justify  the  most  serious  apprehensions. 
The  Emperor  chafed  him  with  brandy,  but  the  old 
soldier  gave  scarcely  any  signs  of  life ;  and  during  the 
whole  of  the  fearful  day  that  followed  he  lay  limp  and 
passive,  his  white  head  rolling  from  side  to  side  with 
the  jumping  of  the  boat,  his  eyes  remaining  closed,  and 
not  a  sound  escaping  from  his  bloodless  lips. 

The  others,  bruised,  weary,  and  cold  though  they 
were,  suffered  less;  but  even  they  had  grown  almost 
indifferent  to  the  result  when,  towards  evening,  the 
weather  moderated,  and  the  sea  began  to  go  down.  It 
was  then  possible  to  attend  more  systematically  to  Count 
Stark,  who,  by  the  Emperor's  directions,  was  half 
stripped,  rubbed  very  thoroughly  with  brandy,  and 
wrapped  in  clothes  freely  saturated  with  the  same  spirit. 
Under  this  treatment  he  at  length,  to  the  general  joy, 
slowly  returned  to  consciousness,  and,  it  being  at  length 
found  practicable  to  light  a  lamp-stove  and  boil  a  kettle, 
he  was  presently  supplied  with  some  hot  soup,  which 
greatly  assisted  in  reviving  him. 

But,  though  the  gale  had  before  midnight  completely 
blown  itself  out,  though  food  and  rest  were  again  avail- 
able, and  though  the  situation  had  ceased  to  be  one  of 
any  imminent  danger,  the  physical  discomforts  of  the 
unfortunates  were  very  little  ameliorated,  for  everything 
in  the  boat  was  saturated  with  water,  and  there  was  no 
means  of  drying  anything.  Nor  was  it  possible,  owing 
to  the  still  overclouded  sky,  to  form  even  the  vaguest 
idea  as  to  the  boat's  whereabouts.     All  that  was  certain 


206  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

was  that,  after  having  headed  in  turn  to  nearly  every 
point  of  the  compass,  she  again  had  a  steady  easterly 
breeze  behind  her.  What  had  been  her  track  during 
the  hurricane  no  one  even  ventured  to  guess. 

Next  day,  however,  brought  bright  fine  weather  and 
warm  sunshine,  which  speedily  dried  the  clothes  of  all, 
and  once  more  rendered  everyone  comparatively  comfort- 
able. The  Field-Marshal  seemed  little  the  worse  for  the 
hardships  which  he  had  undergone ;  the  Emperor  was 
cheery  and  hopeful ;  and  the  Admiral  at  noon  succeeded 
in  getting  an  observation,  which  satisfied  him  that,  in 
spite  of  the  varied  eccentricities  of  the  hurricane,  the 
boat  had  made  very  good  progress  on  her  course,  and 
which  enabled  him  to  place  his  position  in  Lat.  25°  35'  S., 
and  Long.  115°  55'  W.  at  mid-day  on  January  30th. 

From  that  time  forward  the  weather  remained 
delightful,  and  the  only  inconveniences  encountered 
were  those  small  ones  which  are  necessarily  inseparable 
from  boat-cruising,  even  in  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances. Provisions  and  water  for  six  weeks  had  been 
put  on  board,  and  the  Admiral  saw  no  necessity  for 
restricting  allowances,  and,  in  fact,  decided  not  to  restrict 
them  until  the  party  should  have  been  at  least  three 
weeks  at  sea.  But  any  such  prolongation  of  the  voyage 
appeared,  after  the  subsidence  of  the  storm,  to  be  alto- 
gether improbable.  The  trades  blew  fresh  and  brisk 
astern;  a  thousand  islands  lay  right  ahead,  and  a 
friendly  cruiser,  or,  at  least,  some  friendly  sail — and  all 
sails  save  one  would  be  friendly — might  heave  in  sight 
at  any  moment. 


ADRIFT  207 

Days  and  nights  therefore  passed  pleasantly,  if  not 
quickly.  Even  the  Field-Marshal's  dislike  to  the  sea 
grew  modified,  and  he  declared  that,  if  only  he  could 
occasionally  stretch  his  legs,  he  should  be  fairly  happy. 
The  monotony  of  the  voyage  was  varied  by  spells  of  work 
at  the  oars,  by  unsuccessful  attempts  at  fishing,  and  by 
games  of  chess,  played  on  a  thwart,  that  had  been 
pencilled  into  squares,  with  silver  and  bronze  coins  of 
various  kinds  instead  of  with  pieces.  Each  morning, 
moreover,  the  sails  was  lowered  for  half  an  hour,  while 
those  who  felt  disposed  for  it  enjoyed  a  swim,  due  look- 
out being  kept  for  sharks. 

On  the  night  of  February  3rd  the  Admiral,  who  knew 
that  land  could  not  be  far  off,  ordered  a  specially  careful 
look-out  to  be  kept;  and  at  dawn  on  the  following 
morning  Hengler,  who  was  in  the  bow,  was  able  to  report 
something,  which  he  took  to  be  an  island,  broad  on  the 
starboard-quarter.  The  Emperor,  whose  watch  it  was, 
ordered  the  boat  to  be  brought  to,  and,  rousing  the 
Admiral,  learnt  from  him  that  they  were  in  sight  of 
Ducie  Island,  which  they  had  nearly  missed  in  the 
darkness. 

Ducie  Island,  in  Lat.  24°  40'  S.,  and  Long.  124°  48'  W., 
is  an  oval  and  uninhabited  atoll,  measuring  about  a  mile 
and  three-quarters  long  and  a  mile  wide.  Part  of  the 
reef  rises  to  a  height  of  twelve  feet,  and  is  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  trees ;  but  other  parts  of  the  bai  ri  :r  are 
in  some  places  almost  awash,  and  the  atoll  in  one  spot 
broken  by  a  channel  which,  though  not  profound  enough 
to  be  navigable,  leads  to  the  deep  interior  lagoon. 


208  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

The  island  was  not  two  miles  distant,  but,  knowing  it 
to  be  uninhabited,  the  Admiral  would  have  altered 
course  a  point  or  so  to  the  southward  in  order  to  make 
Pitcairn  Island,  had  not  the  Emperor  half-laughingly 
suggested  that  he  had  never  been  on  a  desert  island,  and 
that  the  place  would  enable  the  Field-Marshal  to  stretch 
his  legs.  The  Admiral  therefore  made  for  the  island, 
and  at  the  south-west  point  of  it  found  a  little  entrance 
in  which  the  boat  could  lie  comfortably,  though  she 
could  not  get  right  through  into  the  lagoon. 

The  Lusatians,  one  and  all,  felt  like  children  as  they 
leapt  ashore  for  the  first  time  for  nearly  four  months. 
They  jumped,  and  sang,  and  shouted,  they  rolled  upon 
the  loose  coral,  they  buried  their  faces  in  the  sparse 
herbage  that  grew  here  and  there,  and  the  great  yellow- 
bearded  Von  Puppenheim  even  played  leap-frog  with  a 
brother-officer  of  equal  rank. 

The  spot  where  the  party  landed  formed  a  little  low 
natural  quay.  Behind  it,  and  distant  not  more  than 
thirty  yards  from  the  water's  edge,  rose  a  scarcely 
penetrable  thicket  of  trees  of  all  kinds,  so  that  the  island 
could  not  be  viewed  as  a  whole.  The  thicket  was  alive 
with  birds,  but  seemed  to  have  no  other  denizens. 

'  Let  us  see  what  is  beyond,'  said  the  Emperor  ;  and, 
going  to  the  boat,  he  took  out  a  couple  of  axes,  one  of 
which  he  handed  to  Von  Puppenheim.  '  The  Admiral 
says  that  there  is  a  lagoon  in  the  centre.  There  are 
plenty  of  sharks  outside,  so  why  should  we  not  get  our 
morning's  swim  inside  ?' 

He  strode  up  to  the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  eager,  after 


ADRIFT  209 

the  constraint  of  the  boat,  for  free  exercise,  he  began, 
aided  by  the  Lieutenant-Colonel,  to  cut  his  way  in. 

They  were  almost  on  the  fringe  of  the  tropics,  and 
vegetation  in  those  latitudes,  even  on  small  and  exposed 
islands,  grows  luxuriantly ;  but  so  vigorously  did  the 
Emperor  and  his  companion  lay  about  them,  that  in 
twenty  minutes  they  began  to  see  the  glitter  of  the 
interior  lagoon,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  they  had 
cut  their  way  completely  through  the  belt  of  trees  and 
tangled  undergrowth  into  the  open  air  beyond. 

There  a  strange  and  marvellous  sight  met  then-  gaze. 
They  stood  with  their  backs  to  a  tolerably  regular  amphi- 
theatre of  flourishing  vegetation,  but  the  whole  eastward 
side  of  the  atoll  was  in  a  state  of  absolute  wreck.  The 
trees  from  the  barrier  had  been  beaten  down  in  huge 
inextricable  masses  and  swept  into  the  lagoon,  where, 
still  green,  they  floated.  Great  breaches,  which  were 
evidently  fresh,  had  been  made  in  the  reef  on  that  side, 
as  if  by  a  prolonged  bombardment;  and  it  was  plain 
that  some  recent  storm — possibly,  even,  the  hurricane  in 
which  the  pinnace  had  suffered — had  burst  in  from  the 
east  with  a  power  which  nothing  had  been  able  to  with- 
stand. 

But  a  stranger  sight  than  the  devastated  island  was 
before  them,  for  in  the  midst  of  the  lagoon,  like  a 
huge  battered  turtle,  lay  the  capsized  hull  of  a  large 
ship.  Fifteen  feet  of  it  or  more  stood  out  of  the  water, 
and  it  rested  somewhat  upon  one  side,  one  bilge-keel 
being  exposed  and  the  other  covered.  The  steel  bottom, 
which  ^as  foul  with  sea-growth,  was  wrinkled  and  pierced 

14 


210  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

in  many  places.  Here  and  there  there  were  considerable 
rents  and  whole  plates  torn  off,  so  that  the  blackness  of 
the  interior  was  visible.  The  ship  had  clearly  been 
flung  across  the  low  reef  by  the  tempest,  and  had 
capsized  as,  smashed  and  torn,  she  had  fallen  inside. 

The  Emperor  stood  aghast  at  the  awful  demonstration 
of  the  power  of  the  forces  of  nature. 

'  She  must  have  been  a  fine  vessel,'  he  said. 

Von  Puppenheim  kicked  over  a  battered  life-buoy  that 
lay  at  his  feet.  Painted  in  blue  letters  on  the  canvas 
were  the  words  '  Philistia,  Liverpool.' 

The  Emperor  shuddered. 

1  Merciful  God  !'  he  ejaculated  ;  '  and  we  were  spared  ! 
Let  us  go  back,  Von  Puppenheim !' 


CHAPTEE  XL 


HOME. 


The  Emperor  and  Von  Puppenheim  returned  rapidly 
through  the  wood  to  their  companions  near  the  boat. 
They  had  seen  something  which  chilled  them  to  the 
marrow,  and  as,  one  behind  the  other,  they  struggled 
amid  the  undergrowth,  neither  spoke. 

'  Come !'  shouted  the  Emperor  when  he  was  again 
within  sight  of  his  friends.  'Bring  boat-hooks,  bring 
oars,  bring  knives,  bring  brandy.  We  may  yet  be  able 
to  save  someone.  The  Philistia  is  ashore  here.'  And 
he  went  back  as  rapidly  as  he  had  come. 

On  the  steep  coral  shore  of  the  lagoon,  cast  up  far 
above  the  water,  a  great  quantity  of  cUbris  was  lying. 
Fragments  of  smashed  boats,  splintered  spars,  and  broken 
gratings,  and  cart-loads  of  mere  unrecognisable  match- 
wood, were  scattered  all  over  the  inner  beach.  Here, 
too,  was  a  torn  article  of  clothing,  and  there,  amid  the 
very  roots  of  the  vegetation,  a  battered  corpse,  naked, 
swollen,  hideous,  with  dull,  staring  eyes,  and  with  the 
very  flesh  torn  away  by  the  sharp  rocks. 

They  soon  found  other  bodies,  and  among  them  that 


212  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

of  the  captain  of  the  ship ;  but  they  discovered  no  trace 
of  any  of  the  American  conspirators,  who,  it  was 
suggested  by  the  Admiral,  might  have  all  been  below  at 
the  moment  of  the  catastrophe ;  for,  said  he,  '  in  a  black 
night  and  a  howling  gale,  a  ship,  especially  if  she  were 
not  sure  of  her  position,  might  run  upon  Ducie  Island 
even  before  the  alarm  of  danger  could  be  passed  to  the 
bridge  from  the  look-out  forward,  and  all  may  have  been 
over  in  three  minutes.' 

The  whole  interior  shore  of  the  lagoon  was  most 
carefully  searched  ;  the  party  shouted  in  concert,  and 
fired  revolvers,  and  blew  a  fog-horn ;  and  every  spot  to 
which  an  injured  man  could  by  any  possibility  have 
crawled  was  thoroughly  examined ;  but  all  in  vain.  So 
far  as  could  be  ascertained,  the  disaster  had  been  com- 
plete ;  and,  if  there  were  any  survivors,  they  had,  it  was 
soon  quite  certain,  quitted  the  island.  But  it  was  very 
unlikely  that  any  soul  could  have  escaped.  The  position 
of  the  ship  showed  how  fearfully  sudden  must  have  been 
the  accident,  and  rendered  it  practically  out  of  the 
question  that  any  boat  could  have  been  lowered  in  the 
lagoon. 

By  means  of  the  floating  vegetation  and  wreckage 
several  of  the  Lusatians,  including  the  Emperor,  climbed 
on  to  the  slippery  bottom  of  the  ship,  which  lay  not 
more  than  forty  or  fifty  feet  from  the  nearest  rocks,  and 
looked  through  the  gaping  rents  of  her  hull  into  her 
hold.  Into  some  of  these,  moreover,  they  lowered  a 
lantern ;  but  they  found  nothing  save  darkness,  water, 
and  inextricable  confusion.     The  boilers  and  machinery 


HOME  213 

had  evidently  dropped  out  of  the  ship,  perhaps  scalding 
to  death  some  who  could  not  have  escaped  the  scarcely 
less  fearful  fate  of  suffocation  or  drowning  a  few  minutes 
later. 

The  whole  day  and  the  following  night  were  spent 
upon  Ducie  Island ;  and  early  on  the  morning  of 
February  5th  the  castaways,  perfectly  satisfied  that 
there  was  no  prospect  of  finding  on  the  isolated  spot  a 
single  survivor,  put  to  sea  again  in  lovely  weather,  and, 
still  with  the  staunch  breeze  from  the  eastward,  headed 
for  Pitcairn  Island,  about  four  hundred  miles  to  the 
south-west-by-west.  But  they  never  reached  the  famous 
hiding-place  of  the  Bounty  mutineers  of .  1789.  On  the 
next  day  a  ship  was  sighted,  coming  up  quickly  under 
steam  from  the  south-east;  and  by  noon  on  February 
6th  the  little  party,  not  much  the  worse  for  its  long 
voyage  and  for  its  exposure,  was  taken  on  board  H.M.S. 
Theseus,  the  officers  of  which,  with  Lieutenant  Dicker  in 
a  suit  of  plain  clothes  that  did  not  fit  him,  received  them 
very  respectfully  and  cordially  at  the  gangway. 

There  was  little  danger  of  the  Emperor  being  recog- 
nised, for  he  wore  a  nine  days'  beard ;  all  signs  of  his 
rank  had  been  removed  from  his  uniform,  and  his 
clothes  were  as  torn  and  beggarly  as  those  of  Hengler 
himself ;  for  the  hard  work  in  the  hurricane  and  in  the 
thickets  of  Ducie  Island  had  left  its  mark  upon  them. 

The  Emperor,  even  before  he  was  introduced  by  the 
Field-Marshal  as  Baron  von  Dalhoff,  managed  to  slip 
aside  and  say  a  word  or  two  of  necessary  explanation 
to  Dicker.     In  his  new  capacity  he  was,  instead  of  the 


214  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

head  of  the  party,  its  lowest  member ;  yet,  thanks  to 
the  hospitality  of  the  British  officers,  every  one  of  whom 
was  most  anxious  to  surrender  his  cabin,  his  Majesty 
obtained  very  comfortable  accommodation,  and  at  least 
some  measure  of  privacy.  As  for  the  Field-Marshal 
and  the  Admiral,  the  captain  insisted  upon  their  taking 
his  sleeping  and  his  spare  cabin,  and  declared  that  he 
should  fare  exceedingly  well  if  he  were  allowed,  so  long 
as  they  favoured  him  with  their  company,  to  curl  himself 
up  on  the  sofa  in  the  fore-cabin. 

The  Theseus  had  been  specially  commissioned  and 
despatched  to  look  for  the  Philistia ;  and,  having  heard 
the  story  of  the  castaways,  her  gallant  captain  declared 
that  nothing  else  detained  him,  and  that  he  would  at 
once  return  to  Europe,  calling  on  his  way,  however,  at 
Valparaiso,  to  leave  despatches  for  the  Eear-Admiral  on 
the  Pacific  station,  and  to  fill  up  with  coal.  He  would 
have  conveyed  the  party  all  the  way  home,  and  was, 
indeed,  anxious  to  do  so,  but  at  Valparaiso  the  Lusatian 
cruiser  Chriemhild,  another  old  friend  of  the  kidnapped 
ones,  was  fallen  in  with,  and  the  transfer  to  her  less 
capacious,  but  not  less  hospitable,  quarters  was  made  as 
a  matter  of  course.  At  Valparaiso  there  were  European 
newspapers  of  as  late  as  New  Year's  Day,  and  the 
Emperor  had  the  immense  satisfaction  of  learning  that 
up  to  that  time  nothing  of  vital  importance  had  hap- 
pened to  imperil  the  success  of  his  plans,  and  that  the 
empire  was  still  enjoying  peace  and  prosperity. 

Nothing  of  vital  importance  had  happened.  Von 
Dalhoff,   that   is,  was   still   unsuspectedly   holding   the 


HOME  215 

reins  of  government  and  guiding  the  destinies  of  the 
State. 

But  an  alarming  accident  had,  nevertheless,  occurred. 
A  Sandburg  telegram,  dated  Christmas  Day,  and  de- 
spatched to  the  New  York  Tribune,  gave  the  following 
particulars  of  it : 

'  It  is  with  regret  that  I  inform  you  that  to-day  a 
dastardly  attempt,  which,  but  for  the  heroic  devotion 
of  his   sister,  the   Princess   Nannette,   would   probably 
have  been  fatal,  was  made  upon  the  life  of  the  Emperor. 
It  was  known  that  his  Majesty  would  attend  service  this 
morning  in  the  church  of  Sanct  Moritz,  a  new  and  mag- 
nificent structure,  which  owes  its  completion  as  much 
to  the  example  as  to  the  liberality  of  the  Princess ;  and 
long  before  the  appointed  hour  crowds  of  people  had 
assembled  in  the  streets  leading  from  the  royal  palace 
to   the   building.     At   twenty  minutes  past  eleven  the 
imperial   carriage,  an   open  victoria,  in  which  sat  the 
Emperor,  in  the  full  uniform  of  the  Kegiment  of  Guards, 
with  the  Princess  on  his  left,  drove  at  a  moderately  rapid 
pace  along  the  Aepfel  Allee,  and  turned  sharp  to  the  left 
into  the  somewhat  narrower  Eosine  Strasse,  in  which  the 
church  stands.     Exactly  at  the  corner,  and  clinging  to 
the  lamp-post  there,  to  save  himself  from  being  pushed 
into  the  street  by  the  people  behind  him,  was  a  man, 
respectably  dressed,  who  carried  his  right  hand  thrust 
between  the  buttons  of  his  overcoat.     As  the  carriage 
swerved    this    man    darted    forward,    and,    drawing    a 
revolver  from  his  breast,  presented  it,  across  the  face 
of  the  Princess,  at  the  Emperor.     The  Princess,  with 


216  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

remarkable  presence  of  mind,  knocked  the  weapon  up 
as  the  man  fired ;  but,  drawing  back  a  foot  or  two, 
he  fired  a  second  time,  and  the  bullet,  traversing  the 
muscles  of  the  Princess's  right  arm  a  few  inches  above 
the  elbow,  struck  his  Majesty  on  the  left  shoulder.  The 
Emperor,  who  at  the  moment  had  been  engaged  in 
returning  the  salutations  of  the  people  on  his  right,  had 
not  seen  the  progress  of  the  attack,  and  the  shock  of 
his  wound  must  have  been  almost  his  first  intimation 
that  anything  of  the  kind  had  been  attempted,  for  the 
whole  affair  occupied  less  than  five  seconds.  That  the 
Princess  had  been  hit  was  at  once  evident;  that  the 
Emperor,  who  had  been  more  seriously  injured,  had 
also  been  struck  was  not  publicly  known  until  two  hours 
later.  His  Majesty,  who  displayed  complete  coolness, 
and  who  scarcely  appeared  to  be  even  surprised,  took 
the  Princess,  who  had  fainted,  at  once  into  his  arms, 
and,  ordering  the  carriage  to  be  turned  round,  bid  the 
coachman  drive  slowly  back  to  the  royal  palace.  In 
the  meantime  Dr.  von  Mittag,  chief  of  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  army,  who  was  in  attendance  on 
horseback,  dismounted,  and,  entering  the  carriage,  was 
presently  able  to  give  the  Emperor  a  reassuring  account 
of  the  Princess's  condition,  which  is  in  nowise  serious. 
The  wound  is  confined  to  the  muscular  tissues,  and 
although  the  dress  and  even  the  skin  beneath  it  were 
scorched  and  blackened  by  the  powder,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  there  will  be  no  worse  permanent 
results  than  two  insignificant  cicatrices  and  a  little 
discoloration.     On    the   way   back   to  the    palace    the 


HOME  217 

Emperor's  solicitude  for  the  Princess  was  touching  and 
almost  painful  to  witness.  It  could  be  seen  by  all  that 
when,  more  than  once,  his  Majesty  kissed  his  sister's 
brow,  or  pressed  her  hand,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
His  own  sufferings,  which  must  have  been  considerable 
— for  the  Princess  was  actually  resting  against  his 
wound  for  some  time — were  studiously  concealed ;  for 
his  Majesty,  as  he  leapt  with  his  usual  activity  from 
the  carriage,  flung  a  rug  from  the  seat  behind  him  over 
his  left  shoulder,  and  then  assisted  in  the  removal  of 
the  Princess  to  the  palace.  I  waited  in  the  neighbour- 
hood to  catch  Dr.  von  Mittag  on  his  departure ;  and 
when,  at  a  little  after  one  o'clock,  he  came  out,  he 
greatly  astonished  me  by  saying,  in  reply  to  my  inquiries 
about  the  Princess :  "  Oh,  her  Eoyal  Highness  is  all 
right.  It  is  the  Emperor  who  has  been  badly  hurt. 
Here  is  the  announcement  which  I  am  empowered  to 
communicate  to  the  press."  He  showed  me  a  paper, 
in  the  Emperor's  own  handwriting,  which,  after  re- 
counting the  substance  of  what  I  have  already  cabled 
to  you,  added,  as  if  by  way  of  afterthought :  "  His 
Majesty  mentions  with  sorrow  that  the  magnificent  and 
heroic  devotion  of  his  dear  sister,  the  Princess  Nannette, 
though  doubtless,  under  the  blessing  of  heaven,  it  saved 
his  life,  was  not  entirely  successful  in  saving  him  from  all 
the  consequences  of  the  misguided  assailant's  temerity. 
He  has  received  a  wound  which,  though  it  will  not,  he 
trusts,  incapacitate  him,  even  for  a  day,  for  the  conduct 
of  public  business,  must,  he  fears,  confine  him  to  his 
apartments  for  about  a  week.     Her  Eoyal  Highness  the 


2i8  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

Princess,  he  is  thankful  to  say,  has  suffered  more 
severely  from  the  shock  than  from  the  wound  itself. 
The  Emperor  bears  the  most  enthusiastic  testimony  to 
the  Princess's  courage,  which  he  is  proud  to  reflect  was 
shown  by  a  member  of  the  royal  house,  and  by  one  who 
is  almost  as  dear  to  all  Lusatians  as  to  himself."  I 
asked  the  doctor  for  further  particulars  of  the  Emperor's 
injury,  but  he  laughed,  and  said  :  "I  may  only  tell  you 
that  his  Majesty  makes  very  little  of  it.  I  dare  say  that 
he  will  be  on  horseback  in  a  week.  He  is  very  deter- 
mined, and  he  has  a  splendid  constitution."  He  would 
say  nothing  more;  but  I  am  given  to  understand  by 
others  who  may  know  that  the  surgeons  experienced 
difficulty  in  extracting  the  ball  and  in  stopping  the 
bleeding,  and  that,  at  least  for  a  short  time,  the 
Emperor's  life  was  in  imminent  danger.  All  sorts  of 
rumours  are,  however,  prevalent,  and  the  exact  facts 
are  by  no  means  certain.  The  wound  only  is  indis- 
putable. His  Majesty,  nevertheless,  insisted  on  writing 
the  announcement  from  which  I  have  quoted.  Later 
news  reports  that  he  is  doing  well,  and  is  free  from 
fever.  The  Princess,  I  am  informed,  regained  conscious- 
ness soon  after  having  been  carried  into  the  palace,  and 
at  once  asked  for  her  imperial  brother ;  nor,  in  spite  of 
the  pain  of  her  own  wound,  would  she  consent  to  leave 
his  side  this  afternoon  until  he  had  fallen  asleep.  The 
would-be  assassin  has  been  recognised  as  a  Russian 
anarchist  agitator,  who,  as  a  reason  for  his  action,  ex- 
pressed as  an  opinion  that  if  the  Emperor  were  removed, 
war  with  Russia  would  follow,  and  his  fellow-countrymen 


HOME  219 

would  then,  in  the  confusion,  have  an  opportunity  of 
bringing  about  a  revolution.  The  man  narrowly  escaped 
being  torn  to  pieces  by  the  crowd,  and  the  police  and 
soldiers  had  to  struggle  with  the  mob  in  order  to  rescue 
him.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  Emperor  that,  as  soon 
as  he  had  seen  the  Princess  safely  deposited  in  the 
palace,  he  inquired  for  the  assassin,  and  expressed  a 
hope  that  he  had  not  been  hurt.  The  affair  has  caused 
an  extraordinary  amount  of  indignation,  both  the 
Emperor  and  the  Princess  being  as  popular  as  it  is 
possible  for  them  to  be,  even  in  this  loyal  and  enthu- 
siastic fatherland ;  and  if  the  prison  in  which  the  man 
is  confined  were  not  strongly  guarded,  I  believe,  in  spite 
of  the  legal  and  orderly  instincts  of  the  Lusatians,  that 
he  would  be  lynched.' 

The  anxiety  with  which  the  Emperor  searched  all 
papers  of  a  later  date  may  be  better  imagined  than 
described.  There  were,  of  course,  daily  reports  of  the 
health  both  of  Von  Dalhoff  and  of  the  Princess  Nannette  ; 
but,  while  those  concerning  the  latter  were  in  the 
highest  degree  satisfactory,  those  concerning  the  former 
left  much  to  be  desired,  and  the  latest  of  them  neither 
announced  that  he  had  left  his  apartments,  nor  suggested 
that  he  was  likely  to  do  so  in  the  immediate  future. 
'  His  Imperial  Majesty,'  said  one  paper,  ■  has  not  ceased 
since  the  day  of  his  wound  to  transact  official  business  ; 
but  he  is  confined  to  a  couch,  and  in  that  position 
he  receives  the  ministers  and  gives  audience.  The 
Princess,  whose  arm  is  healing  rapidly,  is  continually 
with  the  Emperor.     Daily  inquiries  as  to  his  Majesty's 


220  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

progress  are  made  by  all  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe, 
and  by  nearly  all  the  princes  and  princesses  of  the 
Empire,  including  the  Princess  Griselda  of  Stormarn, 
who,  upon  the  news  of  the  attempted  assassination 
becoming  known,  telegraphed  her  wish  to  be  permitted 
to  assist  in  the  nursing  of  the  illustrious  patient.  To 
this  womanly  request,  however,  the  Princess  Nannette, 
fearing  no  doubt  that  an  interview  might  be  over-trying 
to  the  Emperor,  felt  it  her  duty  to  reply  that,  as  there 
appeared  to  be  no  danger,  it  would  be  well  if  the  Princess 
of  Stormarn  would  postpone  her  visit  for  a  few  days. 
Her  Highness,  therefore,  yesterday  went  by  train  to 
Sandburg,  drove  to  the  Palace,  and  saw  his  Majesty. 
The  meeting  is  reported  to  have  been  very  affecting ; 
and  this,  looking  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the 
case,  it  may  well  have  been.  Her  Highness  returned  in 
the  afternoon  to  Stormarn.' 

With  this  news  the  Emperor  had  to  content  himself 
until  his  arrival  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  where  the  cruiser  was 
to  coal  for  her  passage  across  the  Atlantic.  At  Eio 
there  were  European  papers  of  February  10th.  The 
local  journals,  which,  of  course,  had  telegraphic  intel- 
ligence of  a  date  about  twenty  days  later,  contained  no 
details,  but  merely  said  that  '  the  Emperor  made  very 
little  progress,  and  was  still  confined  to  his  apartments.' 
The  European  ones,  however,  had  in  them  passages 
which,  though  carefully  wrapped  up,  conveyed  very 
alarming  suggestions.  The  wound,  it  seemed,  could  not 
be  induced  to  heal ;  the  patient  was  in  consequence 
greatly  weakened,  and  the  surgeons  were  looking  grave. 


HOME 


221 


There   was    loose  talk   even   of    the   advisability  of    a 

regency;  but  this,  it  was  officially  announced,  would 
never  be  contemplated  by  his  Majesty  '  so  long  as  he 
was  capable  of  fulfilling  the  most  necessary  duties  of  his 
great  trust.' 

The  Emperor  was  depressed  and  anxious.  He  would 
have  been  much  more  so  had  he  known  what  Dr.  von 
Mittag,  or  Von  Dalhoff  himself,  might  have  told  him. 
But  he  was  young  and  sanguine,  and  soon  hope  was 
once  more  strong  in  him.  'In  twenty  days,'  he  thought 
to  himself,  '  I  shall  be  home  once  more.  In  twenty  days 
Yon  Dalhoff  will  no  doubt  be  quite  well  again.  Of 
course  he  will  recover;  he  must  recover;  young  and 
strong  fellows  like  us  do  not  die  so  easily  at  five-and- 
twenty.  Besides,  had  he  been  going  to  die,  he  would 
not  have  survived  for  all  these  weeks.' 

And  as  he  thought  of  Von  Dalhoff  his  heart  grew 
warm. 

'  How  shall  I  ever  repay  his  courage  and  his  devotion  ?' 
he  asked  himself.  '  What  good  enough  office  can  I  make 
for  him  ?     What  honours  can  I  shower  upon  him  ?' 

Then  to  the  Emperor's  mind  came  the  scene  of  months 
before,  when  Von  Dalhoff  had  kissed  the  Princess 
Nannette  and  called  her  '  little  one ' ;  and  the  picture  of 
the  sorely  wounded  officer  holding  the  Princess  to  his 
heart,  and,  forgetful  of  his  own  injury,  unmanned  by 
her  trifling  hurt.     The  Emperor  drew  a  deep  long  breath. 

'  I  understand,'  he  murmured  to  himself — 'I  am  sure  I 
understand.  Why  did  I  not  think  of  that  before  ?  Do 
I  not  love,  too?     Have  I  yet  learnt  nothing  ?' 


222  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

This  new  conclusion  rendered  him  again  uneasy.  He 
was  not  prepared  to  find  the  slightest  fault  with  Von 
Dalhoff,  should  he  have  fallen  in  love  with  the  Princess. 
It  was  a  proper  and  natural  tribute  to  her  beauty  and 
accomplishments,  and  the  Emperor  felt  certain  that  the 
innate  loyalty  of  Von  Dalhoff  would  cause  him  to  sternly 
repress  any  declaration  to  the  Princess  of  his  passion  for 
her.  But  the  prospect  that  the  Princess  on  her  side 
might  have  fallen  in  love  with  Von  Dalhoff  was  much 
more  perturbing  to  the  Emperor.  He  had  planned  a 
brilliant  future  for  her.  He  hoped  to  see  her,  too, 
wearing  an  imperial  crown.  If  she  had  given  her  heart 
to  Von  Dalhoff — a  noble  fellow  truly,  but  a  mere  captain 
of  infantry — what  a  collapse !  The  Emperor,  who  was 
almost  as  jealous  of  his  sister  as  he  might  have  been  of 
his  betrothed  wife,  bit  his  lips. 

'  But,  after  all,  it  was  my  fault,'  he  at  last  honestly 
admitted  to  himself.  *  They  did  not  seek  the  danger,  I 
put  them  into  it ;  and  I  ought  to  have  foreseen  the 
natural  consequences.  I,  and  I  alone,  am  to  blame  ;  and 
it  is  for  me  to  make  the  best  of  it,  if  what  I  suspect  have 
happened.' 

Those  last  twenty  days  of  his  absence  from  home 
proved  to  be  the  most  trying  of  all.  The  ChriemhiLl  did 
not  steam  fast  enough  for  his  impatience.  She  would 
not  have  done  so  had  she  steamed  fifty  knots  an  hour. 
He  wanted  to  see  Dalhoff,  to  grasp  his  hand,  to  find  him 
well,  to  reward  him,  if  he  could,  in  some  fitting  way ;  he 
wanted  to  see  his  sister,  and  to  thank  her  for  her 
devotion  and  bravery ;  and  he  wanted  to  make  an  end  of 


HOME  223 

the  comedy  with  the  Princess  of  Stormarn,  and  to  carry 
her  to  his  home.  But  he  wanted  also  to  be  at  work 
again  in  his  own  sphere,  to  resume  his  power,  to  feel 
that  the  levers  of  the  mighty  machinery  of  empire  were 
once  more  under  his  hands.  Of  old  the  duties  of  his 
position  had  seemed  to  be  almost  too  much  for  him ;  he 
now  longed  for  the  most  trivial  of  them.  Each  had 
become  too  precious  to  be  ever  again  shirked ;  and  in  his 
sincere  Lusatian  conviction  that,  as  Emperor,  he  was 
ordained  of  God,  he  ceased  during  that  homeward  voyage 
to  believe  that  the  trust  which  Von  Dalhoff,  from  motives 
of  loyalty  to  a  man,  had  freely  sacrificed  himself  to  fulfil, 
could  be,  in  even  its  smallest  details,  unworthy  of  the 
attention  of  one  who  had  been  specially  chosen  by 
heaven  for  the  post. 

The  Chriemhild,  having  plenty  of  coal,  did  not,  like 
the  majority  of  home-coming  Lusatian  warships,  call  in 
at  one  of  the  ports  on  the  English  south  coast,  but 
steamed  direct  to  Friedenhaven ;  and  early  in  the 
morning  of  April  5th  dropped  anchor  in  the  gulf  whence 
the  Emperor  had  been  kidnapped  nearly  six  months 
earlier. 

It  was  a  raw  gray  dawn.  A  brisk  north-easter  was 
blowing,  and  bringing  with  it  now  and  then  occasional 
squalls  of  sleet,  which  kept  the  decks  wet,  and  made  the 
men  look  forlorn  and  miserable  as  they  splashed  about 
barefooted  in  their  glistening  oilskins.  On  a  rainy  day 
even  the  smartest  man-of-war  assumes  a  wretched  and 
bedraggled  appearance. 

Yet  the  Emperor  Carl,  when, he  came  up  from  his 


224  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

cabin  and  gazed  about  him  into  the  mist,  through  which 

familiar  landmarks  loomed,   was  not  conscious  of  any 

feeling   of   depression,    but    rather   of   one   of    extreme 

exhilaration.     The  air,  cold  and  damp  though  it  was, 

seemed  to  him  to  be  far  preferable  to  any  air  that  he  had 

breathed  amid  the  seagirt  islands  of  the  South  Seas  ;  and 

the  bitter  spray,  that  splashed  in  his  face  and  hung  in 

big  drops  upon  his  beard,  tasted  to  him  sweeter  than 

nectar,  for  at  last  he  was  again  breathing  his  own  air, 

and  being  buffeted  by  the  sleet  of  his  own  dear  Lusatia. 

The  captain  of  the  cruiser,  who  was  at  his  post  on  the 

f. 
bridge,  had  already  ordered  a  boat  to  be  called  away,  in 

order  that  he  might  go  ashore  and  report  himself  to  the 

Port-Admiral.     Admiral    Spott   decided    to    accompany 

him  ;  the  Field-Marshal  also  asked  permission  to  be  of 

the  party,  and  requested  to  be  allowed  to  take  the  Baron 

von  Dalhoff  along  with  him.     The  request  was  preferred 

as  a  matter  of  form,  and  granted  as  a  matter  of  course ; 

and  at  a  quarter  past  six  the  steam-pinnace  left  the  ship, 

and  went  off,  puffing  and  tumbling,  through  the  broken 

water  to  the  landing-stage  a  mile  away. 

Friedenhaven  was  awake,  but  it  had  scarcely  rubbed 

the  sleepiness  out  of  its  eyes.     A  few  wet  fishermen  were 

busy  with  their  boats  and  nets  :  a  few  wet  workmen  were 

on  their  way  to  factory  or  workshop  ;  a  few  wet  loafers, 

hands  in  pockets,  smoked  and  shivered  under  the  lee  of 

the  watch-house  on  the  quay :  and  a  wet  policeman  stood 

mechanically  saluting  on  the  stage  as  the  pinnace  drew 

alongside,  and  was  slowly  hauled  to  the  slippery  steps 

by  means   of  a  couple  of  boat-hooks.     Often   had  the 


HOME  225 

Emperor  landed  there  in  the  gay  sunshine  to  the  sound 
of  music  and  amid  the  glitter  of  bright  arms  and 
brilliant  uniforms  ;  but  never  before  had  he  landed  there 
with  the  same  sense  of  thankful  elation  as  on  that 
dismal  and  cheerless  April  morning.  The  old  Field- 
Marshal  watched  him,  and  noted  the  difficulty  with  which 
his  Majesty  repressed  his  feelings. 

'  Come,  Von  Dalhoff,'  he  said,  as  soon  as  all  the  party 
were  on  shore,  '  we  will  go  and  ask  the  General  to  give 
us  some  breakfast.  If  we  all  go  to  the  Admiral's  we 
shall  overwhelm  him  ;'  and  he  saluted  the  naval  officers, 
and,  with  the  Emperor,  left  them. 

'  A  hundred  thanks  !'  exclaimed  his  Majesty,  when  the 
two  found  themselves  alone.  '  I  could  not  keep  up  the 
comedy  for  long  here.  If  I  had  gone  to  the  Admiral's 
I  am  sure  I  should  have  betrayed  myself.  Besides,  I 
mustn't  waste  time.  I  want  to  hear  the  news,  and  to 
know  how  our  poor  Von  Dalhoff  is.  That  is  the  first 
thing.  The  next  is  to  get  to  Sandburg  as  soon  as  possible. 
It  is  like  a  dream,  my  dear  Stark.' 

'  Your  Majesty  must  also  get  some  clothes  in  which  to 
travel,'  said  the  Field-Marshal,  with  a  smile.  '  They 
will  scarcely  admit  you  to  your  own  Palace  as  you  are  ; 
but  with  your  gracious  permission  I  can  arrange  all 
that.  My  son  is  here  in  garrison,  and  he  is  much  of 
your  Majesty's  figure.' 

'  As  you  will,  my  dear  Field-Marshal ;  but  let  us  not 
lose  time.  I  am  as  impatient  as  a  child  to  go  home  for 
his  holidays.' 

They   were    soon    at    the    General's    quarters.     The 

15 


226  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

sentries,  recognising  the  Count  but  not  the  Emperor, 
saluted  ;  the  guard  was  called  out ;  the  General,  who 
had  already  begun  his  day's  work,  came  forward  in 
delighted  astonishment  to  welcome  and  put  himself  at 
the  disposal  of  his  beloved  chief ;  the  Emperor  for  the 
last  time  was  introduced  as  Von  Dalhoff;  and  in  less 
than  an  hour  the  party,  reinforced  by  Major  Stark,  the 
Field-Marshal's  son,  and  by  the  General's  hospitable 
wife,  was  breakfasting  in  the  homely  Lusatian  fashion, 
and  listening,  open-mouthed,  to  the  old  soldier's  story — 
deprived,  however,  of  its  most  astounding  feature — of  the 
voyage  and  end  of  the  Plrilistia. 

But  in  the  interval  the  Emperor  had  managed  to  learn 
news  about  those  in  whose  welfare  he  was  chiefly 
interested.  The  Princess  Nannette,  they  told  him,  had 
completely  recovered,  and  was  in  no  way  the  worse  for 
her  wound  ;  but  the  Emperor — and  when  they  spoke  of 
the  Emperor  they  looked  gloomy  and  shook  their 
heads — the  Emperor  did  not  seem  to  improve.  The 
doctors  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  his  condition. 
They  could  not  get  his  wound  to  heal.  His  Majesty 
was  growing  weaker.  It  was  a  sad  business  for 
Lusatia. 

Major  Stark  had  an  extensive  wardrobe,  and  he 
gladly  put  the  whole  of  it  at  the  disposal  of  his  father's 
companion  in  misfortune.  The  result  was  that  the 
Emperor,  in  black  frock  coat  and  silk  hat,  looking  in  all 
respects  like  a  private  gentleman,  was  able  to  take  the 
8.55  train  from  Friedenhaven  for  Sandburg.  Ostensibly 
he  carried  despatches  from  the  Field-Marshal   to  the 


HOME  227 

War  Minister.  It  -was  an  irregular  thing,  of  course,  to 
send  despatches  by  an  officer  in  plain  clothes ;  but 
officers  are  not  kidnapped  every  day  and  held  in  bondage 
until  their  uniforms  are  worn  out ;  and  naturally  Von 
Dalhoff  would  find  uniform  of  his  own  in  Sandburg,  and 
would  deliver  the  despatches  in  due  order. 

It  is  a  long  way  from  Friedenhaven  to  Sandburg,  and 
the  anxious  traveller  did  not  reach  the  Lusatian  capital 
until  nearly  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He  had  no 
baggage  ;  the  weather  was  fine,  and  the  humour  seized 
him,  in  spite  of  his  anxiety,  to  walk  to  the  Palace 
instead  of  driving  thither  ;  for  there  is  a  certain  pleasure 
to  be  derived  from  the  brief  postponement  of  any  great 
happiness,  so  long  as  that  happiness  is  assured  and  can 
be  enjoyed  at  will. 

As  he  walked  rapidly,  a  newsboy  offered  him  an 
evening  paper,  and,  as  he  held  it,  murmured  in  his 
Sandburg  patois,  '  Critical  condition  of  the  Emperor, 
gracious  gentleman !' 

The  Emperor  stopped  and  unfolded  the  sheet.  On 
the 'first  page  were  the  words  :  'His  Imperial  Majesty, 
who  passed  a  bad  night,  is  this  morning  much  weaker. 
The  physicians  are  unable  to  conceal  that  they  regard 
his  Majesty's  condition  with  uneasiness.  Professor 
Doctor  von  Billingshausen,  the  distinguished  military 
specialist,  has  been  summoned  by  telegraph  from 
Friedenhaven,  and  is  expected  to  arrive  at  five  o'clock. 
The  neighbourhood  of  the  Imperial  Palace  is  surrounded 
by  a  loyal  and  anxious  crowd,  the  stillness  and  sad 
demeanour  of  which  afford  remarkable  testimony  of  the 


228  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

depth  of  the  popular  feeling.  The  Princess  Nannette 
does  not  quit  the  Emperor's  side.' 

The  Emperor  gave  up  his  intention  of  walking  and 
sprang  into  a  cab,  directing  the  driver  to  take  him  to  a 
sicle-door  of  the  Palace  of  which  he  preserved  the  key. 
To  reach  this  side-door  the  front  of  the  great  building 
had  first  to  be  passed.  The  broad  square  before  it  was  a 
silent  sea  of  heads.  Above,  on  the  main  flagstaff,  the 
Imperial  Lusatian  standard  blew  out  against  the  sky.  So 
long  as  that  still  flew,  there  was  life  and  there  was  hope. 

About  the  side-door  the  crowd  was  thin  and  easily 
traversed.  No  one  cared  to  remain  for  long  in  a  place 
whence  he  could  not  see  the  standard.  The  sentries 
took  the  Emperor  to  be  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff.  The 
people  probably  took  him  to  be  a  surgeon,  until  he  pulled 
out  his  key  and  hastily  admitted  himself.  Then  they 
wondered. 

Inside  the  palace,  the  Emperor  hurried  at  once  to  the 
apartments  where  he  knew  that  he  should  find  those 
whom  he  most  wanted  to  see.  He  passed  an  old  servant 
who,  saluting,  whispered  with  tears  in  his  voice  :  '  Gently, 
Herr  Baron,  for  the  love  of  Heaven  !  We  move  on  tip- 
toe !  His  Majesty  is  dying !'  But  the  Emperor,  though 
he  slackened  his  pace  somewhat,  did  not  move  on  tip-toe. 
He  went  on,  opened  a  door,  and  strode  in  among  a  little 
crowd  of  doctors,  who,  in  the  room  next  to  that  in  which 
the  sufferer  was  lying,  were  quietly  discussing  the  case. 
Professor  von  Billingshausen,  who  had  driven  all  the 
way  from  the  station,  had  just  arrived,  and  was  taking 
off  his  coat. 


HOME  229 

'  The  worst  of  it  is,'  a  little  bullet-headed  surgeon  of 
European  reputation  was  saying  as  the  door  opened,  '  we 
cannot  induce  his  Majesty  to  let  us  make  a  proper 
examination  of  the  wound.  Nor  will  her  Eoyal  High- 
ness, the  Princess,  be  persuaded  to  consent  to  our 
putting  the  patient  under  an  anaesthetic  and  then 
making  a  proper  examination  in  spite  of  his  Majesty's 
incomprehensible  and  most  regrettable  determination.' 

'Hush!'  said  another  doctor,  as  he  eyed  the  new- 
comer with  some  suspicion. 

'  It  is  the  Baron  von  Dalhoff,'  said  a  third,  '  his 
Majesty's  secretary.  So  you  have  come  back  safely, 
Herr  Baron,  from  your  kidnappers.' 

'  Never  mind  me,'  said  the  Emperor,  much  agitated. 
'I  must  see  the  Princess  immediately,  on  the  most 
vitally  important  business.  Will  one  of  you  gentlemen 
have  the  goodness  to  bring  her  Boyal  Highness  from 
the  sick-room?  I  will  not  detain  her  for  long.  The 
business  is  confidential ;  I  will  therefore  await  her  Eoyal 
Highness  in  the  study.  Merely  be  so  kind  as  to  say 
that  I  am  there ;  it  will  be  sufficient.' 

And  he  went  alone  to  the  empty  study,  and  stood 
watching  the  door  by  which  his  sister  must  enter. 

She  came  in  almost  immediately,  lovelier,  if  possible, 
than  ever,  but  pale  and  in  tears,  and,  running  forward, 
flung  herself  with  absolute  abandonment  upon  her 
brother's  neck. 

'  Oh,  Carl !  my  Carl !'  she  sobbed ;  '  pray  God  that 
you  are  not  too  late !  He  has  been  so  loyal  and  noble. 
He  chose  to  die  rather  than  betray  you.     He  would  not 


230  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

let  them  see  the  wound,  because — because — you  know 
what  is  marked  upon  his  shoulder,  and  the  wound  is 
close  to  the  words.  Tell  him  he  must  let  them  see  it. 
Come,  Carl !  If  he  should  die  !  Think  of  what  he  has 
suffered  !' 

Tears  came  into  the  Emperor's  eyes  also.  He  gazed 
down  at  his  sister's  sad  face,  and  kissed  it  again  and 
again. 

'Pray  God  that  I  am  not  too  late,  Nan  !'  he  ejaculated 
fervently.     '  Dare  I  see  him  ?' 

'  He  longs  for  nothing  else,'  she  replied.  '  We  heard 
this  morning  of  your  return.  It  seems  as  if  he  had 
been  holding  up  only  until  the  news  should  arrive ;  ever 
since  he  has  been  much  worse.     Come  to  him.' 

The  Emperor  and  his  sister  passed  through  the  room 
in  which  the  doctors  were  still  assembled,  and  gently 
entered  the  one  beyond.  The  chamber  was  partially 
darkened.  White  almost  as  the  linen  amid  which  he 
lay  was  Von  Dalhoff.  His  eyes  glittered  feverishly  in  the 
semi-gloom.  The  Emperor  approached  him,  and,  bend- 
ing over  him,  kissed  his  brow  affectionately. 

'Your  trust  is  fulfilled,  my  dear  friend,'  he  said. 
'  You  must  now  let  the  surgeons  have  their  way,  for  our 
sakes.' 

The  sick  man  attempted  to  raise  himself. 

'  Heaven  be  thanked,  sire '  he  began  ;  but  he  fell 

back  slowly,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  had  fainted. 

'  Quick,  Nan  ! — the  surgeons  !'  said  the  Emperor. 
'  Tell  them  that  he  consents.' 

The  Princess  stepped  to  the  door  and  threw  it  open. 


HOME  231 

'  He  has  fainted,'  she  said,  in  a  tremulous  voice  ;  '  but 
he  has  consented,  and  I  consent.  I  pray  you,  gentlemen, 
to  lose  no  time  in  examining  the  wound.' 

Professor  von  Billingshausen  and  the  bullet-headed 
gentleman  entered,  bowing,  and,  while  the  Emperor  and 
his  sister  withdrew  to  the  window,  brought  the  patient 
to  himself  again,  and  then  began  their  operations, 
having  first  drawn  up  the  blinds  and  admitted  the  full 
light  of  the  afternoon  sun.  They  were  too  much  engaged 
to  notice  that,  while  they  worked  about  the  bed,  the 
Princess  held  the  hand  of  the  supposed  secretary,  and 
that,  whenever  the  sufferer  emitted  the  slightest  sound, 
the  supposed  secretary  drew  the  Princess  closer  to  him 
and  kissed  her  forehead,  and  whispered  some  consoling 
or  hopeful  word.  But  they  cannot  fail  to  have  remarked 
the  curious  fact  that  close  to  the  wound  upon  their 
patient's  shoulder  were  tattooed  the  apparently  incon- 
gruous words,  'I  am  Wilhelm,  Baron  von  Dalhoff.' 
They  did  not,  however,  comment  upon  it.  The  bullet- 
headed  man  merely  grunted.  His  only  words,  muttered 
five  minutes  later,  were :  '  The  bullet  at  last ;  and,  no 
wonder,  there's  a  precious  fine  abscess  too !' 

The  Princess  watched  the  work  at  the  bed  as  if  it 
dazed  her.  She  saw  an  attendant  carrying  water  and 
lint ;  she  saw  the  bright  instruments ;  she  saw  the 
bullet-headed  man  with  his  cuffs  turned  back ;  but 
nothing  save  Von  Dalhoff's  suppressed  groans  made  her 
shrink  or  shudder. 

The  ordeal  was  over  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The 
retention  within  the  wound  of  the  bullet,  which   had 


232  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

struck  and  partially  flattened  itself  against  the  bone  of 
the  upper  arm  and  had  slightly  splintered  it,  had  set  up 
an  immense  amount  of  inflammatory  action,  had  caused 
a  perpetual  drain  upon  the  patient's  strength,  and  had 
made  of  an  injury  which  at  first  had  been  severe  but  not 
dangerous,  an  imminent  peril  to  life. 

Weaker  than  ever  after  the  excitement  and  pain,  Yon 
Dalhoff  subsided  into  a  state  not  far  removed  from  insen- 
sibility ;  and  the  Princess,  who  for  days  had  scarcely  left 
the  patient's  side,  was  persuaded  by  her  brother  to  take 
a  little  much-needed  rest,  while  he,  seated  at  his  desk  and 
still  confused  by  the  strangeness  and  tragedy  of  events, 
strove  to  draw  up  the  state-paper  which  should  proclaim 
the  true  history  of  the  past  half-year,  and  justify  and 

do  honour  to  the  devotion  of  his  sister  and  of  her 

yes,  of  her  lover ;  for  it  was  already  quite  evident 
that  if  Von  Dalhoff  were  not  indeed  Nannette's  lover, 
Nannette's  future  was  not  destined  to  be  a  happy 
one.  She  had  said  nothing  definite,  and  Von  Dalhoff 
himself  had  said  nothing  at  all ;  but  the  Emperor  knew 
enough  about  his  sister  to  be  fully  aware  that,  save  for 
the  sufferings  of  a  lover,  Nannette  could  not  have 
trembled  and  shuddered  exactly  as  she  had  trembled 
and  shuddered  in  Von  Dalhoff' s  room.  She  would  have 
shown,  perhaps,  equal  sympathy ;  but  she  would  have 
shown  less  apprehension. 

The  Emperor  began  half  a  dozen  drafts,  and,  dis- 
satisfied, tore  them  up  ;  but  at  length  he  hit  upon  an 
idea  that  pleased  him,  and,  having  once  grasped  it,  wrote 
rapidly,  and   with   the   facility   of   a   practised  man  of 


HOME  233 

letters.  When  he  had  finished  it,  he  re-read  it,  making 
a  few  insignificant  corrections  and  alterations  as  he  did 
so ;  and  then,  lying  back  in  his  chair  for  a  moment, 
and  still  looking  at  the  paper,  he  fell  into  a  brief 
reverie. 

'  How  will  the  people  take  it  ?'  he  wondered.  '  How 
will  Europe  take  it?  What  a  valuable  thing  it  would  be 
to  Hoodlum  if  he  were  here  and  I  let  him  take  a  copy 
of  it !  Does  it  say  enough  about  Von  DalhofFs  great 
services  ?' 

He  made  yet  another  alteration  or  two,  and,  having 
folded  the  paper  and  placed  it  in  his  pocket,  went,  still 
as  Von  Dalhoff,  to  Von  DalhofFs  apartments  and  shaved 
off  his  beard,  replacing  it  with  one  of  the  beards  which 
Von  Dalhoff  had  worn  in  the  days  prior  to  the  kid- 
napping. 

It  was  by  this  time  dusk,  and  the  Palace  lamps  were 
being  lighted.  He  crossed  the  corridor  to  the  sick  man's 
room  and,  entering  quietly,  dismissed  the  nurse  for  a 
season  and  sat  down  by  the  bed. 

Von  Dalhoff  still  lay  semi-conscious  and  with  his  eyes 
closed,  and  the  Eniperor,  as  he  watched  him,  was  able 
to  realize  how  terribly  he  had  suffered.  The  face,  the 
<  whole  form,  was  shrunken  ;  the  pallid  skin  was  almost 
transparent ;  the  hand  of  the  uninjured  right  arm  was 
thin  and  fragile-looking,  and  the  wrist,  once  so  firm  and 
strong,  was  mere  bone  and  skin.  The  Emperor  took  the 
Baron's  hand. 

'  Is  that  you,  little  one  ?'  murmured  Von  Dalhoff. 

'  It  is  I — the  Emperor,'  answered  the  other. 


234  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

The  Baron's  eyes  opened,  and  a  slight  blush  seemed 
to  pass  across  his  face. 

'Pardon,  sire,'  he  said.  'That  is  all  over.  I  have 
done  my  duty.  Oh,  sire,  I  thank  you  !  It  has  been 
six  months  of  heaven.  She  is  so  good — she  is  so 
good !' 

'  Why  is  it  all  over  ?'  asked  the  Emperor  gently. 

He  saw  that  the  patient  was  not  quite  master  of  his 
senses,  yet  he  wished  to  know  more. 

'  I  have  done  my  duty,'  continued  the  Baron,  as  if 
he  barely  heard.  ■  Now  I  shall  go  far,  and  forget.  You 
shall  not  know,  sire,  that  I  have  dared  to  love  her.  She 
shall  not  know — she  shall  not  be  unhappy.' 

'  But  she  will  be  very  unhappy,  I  suspect,  if  she  does 
not  know,'  said  the  Emperor.  'Why  do  you  not  tell 
her?' 

'  I  shall  not  betray  my  trust,'  returned  Von  Dalhoff, 
still  as  if  he  were  talking  to  himself.  'I  have  once 
kissed  her.  It  was  more  than  I  deserved.  But  that 
was  no  betrayal,  sire ;  his  Majesty  stood  by  and  saw. 
What  would  his  Majesty  say,  sire,  if  I,  a  simple  captain, 
should  dare — should  dare — to  talk  of  love  to  her  Boyal 
Highness?  Yet  for  six  months  I  have  called  her  " little 
one,"  and  have  seen  her  every  day;  and  when  she  was 
hurt  she  lay  on  my  breast,  and  when  I  was  hurt  she 
nursed  me;  and  I  have  seen  her  weep  when  she  did 
not  know  that  I  was  awake.' 

'  You  should  tell  her  the  truth,'  said  the  Emperor. 

'  You  do  not  know  how  completely  he  has  trusted  me, 
sire;  I  could  not  do  his  Majesty  such  an  injury.' 


HOME  235 

The  Emperor  relinquished  the  Baron's  hand,  and, 
rising,  left  the  room,  and  went  noiselessly  to  the  room 
in  which,  still  dressed,  the  Princess  was  sleeping.  Half 
regretfully  he  awoke  her. 

'  Oh,  Carl,  is  he  worse  ?'  she  asked. 

'  No,  Nan — no  worse ;  and  I  hope  that  he  will  soon 
be  better.  But  I  want  you  to  come  with  me  to  him ; 
you  may  be  able  to  do  him  some  good.  He  is  anxious, 
I  think,  and  uneasy.  He  seems  to  like  you  to  be  with 
him.' 

The  Princess  was  on  her  feet  in  an  instant. 

'Of  course  I  will  go,'  she  said.  'And,  indeed,  I  am 
quite  refreshed  now ;  I  must  have  slept  for  ages.' 

'You  have  been  lying  down  for  about  two  hours,' 
returned  the  Emperor,  with  a  smile,  '  and  possibly  you 
have  "slept  for  half  that  time.' 

'  But  indeed,  Carl,  I  am  quite  refreshed,'  she  in- 
sisted. 

'  Then  come,'  he  said,  as  he  led  the  way  to  Von 
Dalhoffs  room. 

When  they  had  reached  it,  he  motioned  his  sister 
to  a  chair  in  a  corner,  and,  resuming  his  place  at  the 
bedside,  again  took  the  Baron's  hand.  Presently  the 
sick  man  spoke. 

'I  hope  that  his  Majesty  will  be  satisfied  when  he 
returns,'  he  said,  still  wandering  a  little.  'They  say 
that  he  reached  Friedenhaven  this  morning.  No  one 
would  think  now  that  I  resemble  his  Majesty.  Besides, 
his  Majesty  has  grown  a  beard.  I  am  done  with  alto- 
gether ;  I  have  had  my  day.' 


236  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

'Why  have  you  had  your  day?'  asked  the  Emperor, 
who  hoped  that  the  conversation  might  take  the  same 
course  as  before. 

'  I  shall  see  her  no  more,'  said  Von  Dalhoff. 

'  See  whom  no  more  ?' 

'  Ah  !  you  do  not  know  about  the  Princess.  No  one 
knows  ;  not  even  the  Princess  herself.  But  you  will  not 
tell  her  that  I  love  her.' 

The  Princess  Nannette  came  across  from  her  distant 
chair,  and  kneeling  at  the  bedside,  took  Yon  Dalhoff  s 
hand  from  the  Emperor  and  kissed  it  and  wept  over  it, 
while  his  Majesty,  who  had  also  risen,  went  to  the 
window.  Presently  she  stole  up  behind  him  and  threw 
her  arms  about  his  neck. 

'  Forgive  me,  Carl,'  she  whispered,  and  her  whole  body 
trembled  with  her  emotion.  '  Do  not  be  angry.  But  if  he 
should  get  well,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  and  should  say 
all  that  again,  I  could  never  marry  any  other  man,  even 
to  please  you,  Carl,  my  brother,  my  Emperor.' 

The  Emperor  did  not  reply,  but  took  her  hand  and  led 
her  again  to  the  bedside. 

'Von  Dalhoff,'  he  exclaimed  in  a  louder  voice  than  he 
had  previously  used  in  the  sick-room :  and  at  the  same 
time  he  pulled  off  his  beard  and  flung  it  away. 

The  sick  man  opened  his  eyes. 

'  Sire,'  he  began.  It  was  clear  that  he  knew  now 
where  he  was  and  who  was  addressing  him. 

1  Hush,'  said  the  Emperor ;  '  do  not  fatigue  yourself, 
my  dear  fellow.  All  is  well.  I  am  safely  back.  Nan- 
nette is  here,  and  will  not  leave  you.     We  will  both  take 


HOME  237 

care  of  you  and  make  you  sound  and  strong  again.  And 
I  have  told  her  what  you  told  me  just  now,  and  she  is  no 
more  angry  than  I  am.' 

'  What  did  I  tell  your  Majesty  ?'  asked  Von  Dalhoff. 
'  I  have  been  wandering,  I  dare  say.' 

The  Emperor  took  the  Princess's  hand,  raised  it  to  his 
own  lips,  and  placed  it  to  the  Baron's. 

'  You  told  me,'  he  said,  '  that  you  loved  this ;  and  I 
can  see  that,  whether  you  were  wandering  or  not,  you 
meant  it.  Now,  make  haste  and  get  well.  For  six  months 
you  have  lived  nobly  and  loyally  for  her  brother.  It  will 
be  less  tedious  to  live  as  nobly  and  as  loyally  for  herself.' 

On  the  following  morning  the  Emperor's  proclamation 
appeared  in  the  official  Gazette,  and  was  flashed  word  for 
word  all  over  the  world.  For  a  month  it  was  the  talk  of 
Europe.  There  have  been  many  other  royal  romances 
since  the  present  century  began;  there  has  even  been 
another  kidnapping  of  a  ruling  prince.  But  the  history 
of  the  Emperor's  case,  and  of  Von  Dalhoff' s  devotion  and 
reward,  was  far  more  romantic  than  anything  that  had 
ever  before  been  made  known,  and  put  all  other  royal 
romances  into  the  shade. 

The  only  people  who  did  not  appreciate  the  story  were 
the  Emperor's  enemies.  If  they  had  but  known  the 
truth,  they  would,  they  felt,  have  had  a  splendid  oppor- 
tunity of  making  mincemeat  of  Lusatia.  Yet  the  chance 
had  slipped  from  them. 

Hoodlum  was  delighted  for  two  reasons.  He  was  glad 
that  his  imperial  friend  had  escaped  in  safety,  and  he 


238  THE  DOUBLE  EMPEROR 

was  equally  glad  that  his  own  connection  with  the 
episode  enabled  him  to  contribute  to  Scrarjmer's  Maga- 
zine three  long  articles  concerning  it.  So  good  an  oppor- 
tunity does  not  come  to  every  American  writer. 

The  Princess  Griselda  of  Stormarn  was  likewise 
delighted  for  two  reasons.  Not  only  was  the  comedy 
which  had  been  played  to  excuse  the  postponement  of 
her  marriage  at  an  end,  but  also  she  had  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that,  without  any  interference  on  her  part, 
her  father's  great  wish  was  to  be  gratified. 

The  bright  summer  day  which  witnessed  the  marriage 
of  the  Emperor  Carl  saw  the  Empress  Griselda's  father 
restored  to  his  ancient  position  as  reigning  Duke  of 
Stormarn.  It  saw  also  another  marriage,  that  of  the 
Princess  Nannette,  '  the  Pearl  of  Ruhland.'  The  bride- 
groom was  not  Wilhelm,  Baron  von  Dalhoff,  but 
Wilhelm,  Prince  von  Dalhoff;  and  as  his  Majesty  the 
Emperor  was  at  the  moment  otherwise  engaged,  the  old 
Field-Marshal  Leonhard,  Count  Stark,  gave  away  the 
Princess  Nannette,  and  was  the  first  to  kiss  her  after  the 
ceremony. 


THE   END. 


i 


^ 


w 


•?# 


H 


A  UTHORS   AND  THEIR 

Works  of 

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MARIE  CORELLI. 


Barabbas. 

A  Dream  of  the  World's  Tragedy. 
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"  It  is  a  remarkable  story  in  many  ways,  bold  yet  reverent  in  its 
handling  of  the  great  and  solemn  facts  of  the  trial,  crucifixion,  and 
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and  beautiful  conception  of  Christ,  and  brilliant  in  its  descrip- 
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Vendetta ; 

Or,  The  Story  of  One  Forgotten. 
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American. 

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FRIED  RICH  SPIELHAGEN. 


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Vampires,  and  Mademoiselle  Reseda. 

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In  her  former  story  the  dialogue  is  pointed  and  alert,  the  characters 
are  clear-cut  and  distinct,  and  the  descriptions  picturesque.  As 
for  the  main  idea  of  'A  Successful  Man,'  the  intersection  of  two 
wholly  different  strata  of  American  life, — one  fast  and  fashionable, 
the  other  domestic  and  decorous, — it  is  worked  out  with  much  skill 
and  alertness  of  treatment  to  its  inevitably  tragic  issue." — N.  V. 
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Mr.  Vandam  tells  us  at  length  in  his  spicy,  gossipy  style.  Verily 
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entertaining  as  its  predecessor,  and  is  quite  as  rich  in  illustrative 
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word,  the  most  interesting  phases  of  recent  and  contemporary 
French  life  are  exposed  to  us  by  one  who  has  known  the  boulevards 
for  almost  forty  years,  and  who  has  had,  besides,  the  use  of  certain 
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The  Other  Man's  Wife. 

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Only  Human. 

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$1.00  per  volume. 


Countess  Erika's  Apprenticeship.    By  Ossip  Schubin. 
"O  Thou,  My  Austria!"     By  Ossip  Schubin. 
Erlach  Court.     By  Ossip  Schubin. 
The  Alpine  Fay.     By  E.  Werner. 

The  Owl's  Nest.    By  E.  Marlitt. 
^         Picked  Up  in  the  Streets.    By  H.  Schobert. 
^         Saint  Michael.     By  E-  Werner. 

Violetta.     By  Ursula  Zoge  von  Manteufel. 
The  Lady  with  the  Rubies.    By  E-  Marlitt. 
Vain  Forebodings.     By  E.  Oswald. 
A  Penniless  Girl.     By  W.  Heiniburg. 
Quicksands.     By  Adolph  Streckfuss. 

Countess  Qisela.     By  E.  Marlitt. 

At  the  Councillor's.    By  E.  Marlitt. 

The  Second  Wife.     By  E.  Marlitt. 

The  Old  Mam'selle's  Secret.    By  E.  Marlitt 
Gold  Elsie.     By  E.  Marlitt. 
The  Little  Moorland  Princess.    By  E.  Marlitt. 
Banned  and  Blessed.    By  E.  Werner. 
A  Noble  Name.     By  Claire  von  Glu'mer. 


Authors  and  Their  Works. 


MRS.   WISTER'S  TRANSLATIONS. 

Continued. 

From  Hand  to  Hand.    By  Golo  Rairnund. 

Severa.     By  E.  Hartner. 

A  New  Race.     By  Golo  Raimund. 

The  Eichhofs.     By  Moritz  von  Reichenbach. 

Castle  Hohenwald.     By  Adolph  Streckfuss. 

Margarethe.    By  E.  Juncker. 

Too  Rich.     By  Adolph  Streckfuss. 

A  Family  Feud.     By  Ludwig  Harder. 

The  Green  Gate.     By  Ernst  Wichert. 
Only  a  Girl.     By  Wilhelmine  von  Hillern. 
Why  Did  He  Not  Die.     By  Ad.  von  Volckhauser. 
Hulda.     By  Fanny  Lewald. 
The  Bailiff's  Maid.     By  E.  Marlitt. 
In  the  Schillingscourt.     By  E.  Marlitt. 

"Mrs.  A.  L.  Wister,  through  her  many  translations  of  novels 
from  the  German,  has  established  a  reputation  of  the  highest  order 
for  literary  judgment,  and  for  a  long  time  her  name  upon  the  title- 
page  of  such  a  translation  has  been  a  sufficient  guarantee  to  the 
lovers  of  fiction  of  a  pure  and  elevating  character,  that  the  novel 
would  be  a  cherished  home  favorite.  This  faith  in  Mrs.  Wister  is 
fully  justified  by  the  fact  that  among  her  more  than  thirty  transla- 
tions that  have  been  published  by  L,ippincott's  there  has  not  been 
a  single  disappointment.  And  to  the  exquisite  judgment  of  selec- 
tion is  to  be  added  the  rare  excellence  of  her  translations,  which 
has  commanded  the  admiration  of  literary  and  linguistic  scholars." 
— Boston  Home  Journal. 


J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia 


Authors  and  Their  Works. 


AMELIE  RIVES 


The  Quick  or  the  Dead? 

i2mo.    Cloth,  $1.00. 

"  To  me  her  novels  are  of  the  greatest  interest  and  value  :  they 
have  suggested  new  trains  of  thought ;  given  me  new  ideas  ;  opened 
up  new  vistas — in  fact,  their  reading  has  been  not  only  pleasurable, 
but  profitable." — New  York  Herald. 

The  Witness  of  the  Sun. 

i2mo.    Paper,  50  cents ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

"The  wide  discussion  created  by  Miss  Rives's  'Quick  or  the 
Dead?'  has  caused  a  great  demand  for  her  new  work,  which,  in 
several  respects,  is  superior  to  her  first  novel.  The  dramatic  situ- 
ations are  stronger,  the  characters  are  more  carefully  drawn,  and 
there  is  less  luxuriousness  of  expression." — Norristown  Herald. 


Barbara  Dering. 

A  Sequel  to  "The  Quick  or  the  Dead?"    nmo.    Paper, 
50  cents;  cloth,  $1.25. 

"Many  of  the  people  who  objected  to  the  character  of  her  work 
before  will  object  again  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  many  men  and 
women  will  be  deeply  impressed  by  the  new  story,  will  own  to 
themselves,  if  not  to  others,  that  she  has  spoken  the  truth,  that 
her  characters  are  true  to  life  ;  will  agree  with  her  conclusions,  and 
some  will  thank  her  for  having  done  a  good  deed.  The  book  is 
brilliantly  written  from  the  stand-point  of  a  young  woman  of  ob- 
servation, experience,  feeling,  and  strong  convictions,  and  will 
'strike  home'  in  the  hearts  of  many  readers." — St.  Paul  Dispatch. 


J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia. 


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